Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Coach Chot Reyes is well aware of how good Andray Blatche is, being Gilas Pilipinas’ naturalized player for the better half of the past three years.
One player in the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas who hasn’t seen the 31-year-old in action first hand, though, is Isaiah Austin.
But that doesn’t mean that the import, who is also a prospective naturalization candidate for the Philippines, will back down against the seasoned Blatche.
“I’m excited,” said the 23-year-old. “It’s always exciting to be able to go against great competition, but as a basketball player, I was thought to never back down from anybody. When it comes time for us to match up, I’m gonna play hard, that’s all I can do.”
There’s a high chance that Blatche’s Xinjiang Flying Tigers will meet Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas in the 2017 Fiba Asia Champions Cup if the two teams make it past the group stages.
Austin, however, said that Chooks should have no fear in the continental club tourney if it finds itself in a collision course against Blatche.
“I’ve seen a lot of his games and I know his style of play. He’s a very crafty player, a very good post player. Whenever I can, I study film of a lot of players and I can definitely learn a lot of things from watching him play,” he said.
Austin will be tasked to steer Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas in the 10-team tournament in Chenzhou, China from September 22 to 30. /idl