Pingris blending well with Gilas 5

Marc Pingris, the newest Gilas addition, said he’s quickly learning the system thanks to the help he’s getting from his roomate Dondon Hontiveros. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

TAIPEI – Less than a week practicing with the Gilas Pilipinas pool after announcing his dramatic u-turn, Marc Pingris has gotten comfortable with the squad and the system of coach Tab Baldwin.

“I wouldn’t say that I have got it all down 100%, but I’m close to it,” Pingris said in Filipino on Sunday after the morning drills and shootaround to prepare for the Filipinos debut in the 37^th Jones Cup against bitter rival Chinese Taipei-A at Xinchuang gym here.

Dondon Hontiveros, to which Pingris shares a room with here, plays a critical part in getting Pingris up to speed, short of tutoring the 6-foot-4 power forward before going to bed and after waking up each morning.

“He’s helping me out, a lot,” Pingris said of Hontiveros, one of the most senior members of the team.

Pingris also feels the sense of urgency for his services, most especially in this tournament since naturalized center Andray Blatche left back for the United States in a huff on Saturday morning to attend the funeral of his departed uncle.

“We are sad (when Blatche left), because we all know that we need this tournament for (our preparations) for the Fiba-Asia,” he said. “But we have to accept it. You would also do the same if you lose a loved one, won’t you?”

“That’s why we are here to support him (Blatche).”

Pingris will be one of the main forces underneath for this gritty bunch of Filipinos, and he wants to win this event since he missed being with the squad that triumphed here over the United States in 2012.