Mario Wuysang. PBA IMAGES
Veteran guard Mario Wuysang is just keeping its hopes up moving forward amid the hurdles Indonesia is facing at the start of the 2017 Seaba Championship.
“We only have 10 players and we just want to compete,” Wuysang said after the Indonesians’ 71-50 victory over Singapore to open the competitions on Friday.
Naturalized player Jamarr Johnson and Indonesian-American forward Arki Wisnu have yet to be issued Fiba clearances that kept the two from seeing action in the tournament-opener.
But that didn’t matter, as the 38-year-old Wuysang led the way for the undermanned Indonesia side with 20 points, four rebounds, and three assists as it jumped to an early 18-3 start en route to the blowout win.
Though pulling off the victory was a commendable feat given the situation the team is in, Wuysang said that the squad is realistic in its approach in this tilt.
“We didn’t have any preparation coming into this. Our focus is on the Sea Games, really. We know Gilas is focusing on the Fiba and the international championships, but our focus is on the Sea Games and we’re just trying to compete and improve,” he said.
And he’s hopeful that Johnson and Wisnu will get their clearances as soon as possible, especially with games against Malaysia and Thailand slated in the coming days.
“Hopefully, we’ll get those (clearances),” Wuysang said.