Clarkson set to join Gilas practice after expected arrival early Tuesday morning

Jordan Clarkson, updated on the developments of the national pool, is ready to join Gilas Pilipinas in practice. —FIBA.BASKETBALL

That’s one less problem for the Gilas Pilipinas program.

Utah Jazz star Jordan Clarkson will begin practicing with the national pool on Aug. 9 at the earliest, after his scheduled arrival here early Tuesday morning.

Gilas Pilipinas, which is playing a short stint in the Heyuan WUS International Basketball Tournament in Guangdong, China, will reunite with Clarkson in training hoping to get the naturalized star in sync with its defensive improvement, one that bared its teeth in a 75-63 victory over Senegal.

“Our focus [here] was to really improve our defense,” national coach Chot Reyes said in a dispatch released by the national federation on Monday.

“Even in the first half, even when we were down, we only gave up 39 points and we thought it was the defense that kept us close when our offense was struggling. Even in the third quarter,” he added.

“[And] that’s what defense does, it allows you to stay in the game. Hopefully, when you get hot this is what happens.”

Gilas’ stingy defense cut a path for Ray Parks Jr., who led a counterattack in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. AJ Edu and Kiefer Ravena then hit back-to-back triples to put the game at Heyuan Sport Gymnasium away from Senegal’s reach.

The Nationals were set to play and repeat against Iran on Monday night looking to end the pocket tournament on a positive note.

‘In basketball shape’

Clarkson has been keeping tabs on the team’s development in preparation for the Fiba (International Basketball Federation)World Cup, according to Reyes.

“The number one thing [we] can expect is he’s in basketball shape,” the concurrent program director said of Clarkson in a recent interview.

“Maybe not in top game shape, but he’ll have a couple of weeks to get there. As you know, a player of that caliber, that should be enough. So the only issue for us now is integration.”

Clarkson averaged 25 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in his last tour with Gilas.

Seven-foot-three big man Kai Sotto is also expected to take part in training this week, while Scottie Thompson, who fractured his hand during the camp in Europe, remains under observation.

As Gilas continues to enjoy strides in some fronts, so does Italy—one of the Philippines’ opponents in the group phase of the World Cup. The Blues, ranked 10th in the global Fiba ladder, tabbed two big wins in their own preparatory games.

The Dominican Republic, on the other hand, lost to Puerto Rico in a recent friendly. Angola, meanwhile, has dropped two of its three tuneup games. The two squads are also grouped with the Philippines. INQ