POWERHOUSE ASIAN champion Iran is playing minus several stars, but that is not going to make the job easy for the Smart Gilas Pilipinas Friday when they collide in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Fiba Asia Stankovic Cup at the Ghazir Stadium in Beirut, Lebanon.
The Filipinos, ranked third in Group B after splitting their four-game preliminary assignments, drew the Iranians in one of four matches for semifinal slots.
Missing forward Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, playmaker Mehdi Kamrani and shooting guard Hamed Afagh, Iran finished second in Group A with a better quotient over Chinese Taipei and Kazakhstan after the three squads wound up with identical 2-2 records.
The three Iranian stars begged off from the competition to condition themselves for Iran’s stint in the Fiba World Championship in Turkey at the end of the month.
“It will be a difficult game,” said Smart Gilas coach Rajko Toroman. “But I think we have a chance to go to the semifinals.”
The Iranians, who have not lost to the RP five since the 2008 Jones Cup, have already beaten the Filipinos two times this year.
Toroman’s team has been playing without naturalization candidate Marcus Douthit, 7-footer Greg Slaughter, 6-7 Rabeh Al-Hussaini and wingman Chris Lutz.
The Filipinos, ranked third in Group B after splitting their four-game preliminary assignments, drew the Iranians in one of four matches for semifinal slots.
Missing forward Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, playmaker Mehdi Kamrani and shooting guard Hamed Afagh, Iran finished second in Group A with a better quotient over Chinese Taipei and Kazakhstan after the three squads wound up with identical 2-2 records.
The three Iranian stars begged off from the competition to condition themselves for Iran’s stint in the Fiba World Championship in Turkey at the end of the month.
“It will be a difficult game,” said Smart Gilas coach Rajko Toroman. “But I think we have a chance to go to the semifinals.”
The Iranians, who have not lost to the RP five since the 2008 Jones Cup, have already beaten the Filipinos two times this year.
Toroman’s team has been playing without naturalization candidate Marcus Douthit, 7-footer Greg Slaughter, 6-7 Rabeh Al-Hussaini and wingman Chris Lutz.
Other quarterfinal games: Top Group A quarterfinalist Japan vs Group B No. 4 Jordan (1-3), Group B No. 3 Chinese Taipei vs Group B No. 2 Qatar, Group B No. 1 Lebanon vs Group B No. 4 Kazakhstan.
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