We’re about to all go off-line in 1 hour. Pls pray for us #LabanPilipinas #Puso #💪🇵🇭❤️ pic.twitter.com/kRSc21ehBB
— Chot Reyes (@coachot) August 8, 2017
Facing the regions’s best teams is not the only thing Gilas Pilipinas has to deal with in the 2017 Fiba Asia Cup in Beirut, Lebanon.
Former national team coach Tab Baldwin said the Gilas will also have to get accustomed to the living and playing conditions in Lebanon, where, according to the American-Kiwi, traffic is much worse than it is in Manila.
“I’m just like everybody else. I’m hopeful that they’re gonna be really well over there. I don’t really know what the competition is exactly,” said Baldwin, whose squad Ateneo nearly pulled off the upset against the Cadets in a tuneup Tuesday.
“They’re gonna face some tough teams there. It’s tough conditions to play in Beirut. It’s usually traffic–we think we understand traffic here but it’s a different kind over there. It can really be frustrating.”
It seems like Gilas Pilipinas is already experiencing what Baldwin is talking about.
Head coach Chot Reyes posting updates of their struggles getting to the practice venue because of traffic.
Seems we’re gonna be late for practice again today #smh
A post shared by Chot Reyes (@coachot) on
Lebanon is hostile territory to many but it used to be a place that Baldwin once referred to as home.
“Lebanon is a different place. I lived there for awhile and coached there. It’s not an easy place to play and we’re a long way from home,” said Baldwin, who coached in Lebanon for two years from 2010-2011.
The Philippines opens its campaign against reigning Asian champion China on Wednesday in a rematch of the 2015 finals.
The 59-year-old Baldwin was at the helm when Gilas settled for silver two years ago in Changsha, China.
“Like everybody else, I hope we do well.”
