Jordan Clarkson: No rest.—PHOTO COURTESY OF JALIN MORGAN.
Gilas Pilipinas will be taller and more athletic—and will have Jordan Clarkson as the tip of its sword—when the Nationals gun for payback against Lebanon in Beirut on Thursday.
Willingly answering the call of the land of his mother’s birth, Clarkson will be the naturalized player of Gilas, which surrounded the crafty Utah Jazz guard in the NBA with the size and talent that can hopefully get the job done in the Lebanese capital.
A 13-man pool that made the trip to Lebanon just past midnight on Tuesday included Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson, Chris Newsome, Dwight Ramos and the 7-foot-3 Kai Sotto.
Coach Chot Reyes will make one final cut on Wednesday, the eve of the Filipinos’ clash with the Cedars, who manhandled them, 95-80, last month. That game that will start the Filipinos’ fourth window in the Fiba (International Basketball Federation) World Cup (FWC) Asian Qualifiers is slated at 9 p.m. on Thursday in Beirut (2 a.m. on Friday, Manila time).
Jamie Malonzo, Calvin Oftana, collegiate standout Carl Tamayo, Roosevelt Adams and Japanese B.League regulars Ray Parks, Jr. and brothers Kiefer and Thirdy Ravena round out the pool.
Overall, the selection stands at an average height of 6-foot-5, an inch taller than the squad that played and lost to Lebanon in the Asia Cup, and about the same height as the Cedars’ projected lineup.
Gilas practiced one more time on Monday morning and Clarkson, despite planing in just last Friday, has already shown that he is getting along with the homegrown players.
“As far as Jordan is concerned—including the side interactions with his fellow players—he’s very comfortable,” Sonny Barrios, the spokesperson for the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, said during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum also on Monday.
“At the end of practice, they have this mini-game where they try to hit the half-court shot. He joins that, too,” he added. “As far as cohesion is concerned, things are really looking good. Very promising and nice to watch all of them together.”
Gilas should be planing back home on the 26th and will prepare for a clash with Saudi Arabia on Aug. 29 at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Coming into the Lebanon game, Gilas has a 2-2 record in a qualifying series that it really doesn’t need to win as the country already has an outright slot to the Fiba World Cup next year being a co-host together with Japan and Indonesia.
But Reyes needs to play these games to see the players that will be the best fit for the team in the main event in just about a year.