Moral wins don’t count for Gilas in OQT buildup

Gilas Pilipinas’ June Mar Fajardo and Justin Brownlee flank as Turkey player during a tune-up game in Istanbul ahead of the Fiba OQT. –TURKEY BASKETBALL FEDERATION

Gilas Pilipinas wasn’t too keen on framing Friday’s valiant stand against Turkiye as a moral victory.

And for good reason.

“We only have one shot at [making] it to the Olympics, and we cannot be satisfied with [a result of] almost winning,” team manager and national assistant coach Richard del Rosario said in a bulletin released by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas following an 84-73 defeat at the hands of the World No. 24 hosts in Istanbul on Friday.

READ: Gilas Pilipinas loses to Turkey in tune-up ahead of Fiba OQT

“While others may see it as a satisfying first game, our team mindset is: Almost is not enough,” he added of the friendly that had the Philippines dropping to 1-1 in its series of preparatory games geared towards the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Riga, Latvia, set July 2.

With just 11 players making the trip, Gilas managed to keep it close with the Turks for most of the contest at Besiktas Akatlar Culture and Sports Complex. But saddled with frosty shooting and fouls, the Nationals eventually kissed their hopes of taking down the Dev Adam side preparing for the EuroBasket.

Justin Brownlee and June Mar Fajardo starred for the Filipinos, with the naturalized ace turning in 21 points and the PBA’s seven-time MVP chipping in 17 points and 11 rebounds.

READ: Gilas Pilipinas flies to Turkiye hoping to show readiness for OQT

Young and towering big man Kai Sotto was limited to just seven points, no thanks to fouls that shelved him with three minutes remaining. Fellow cornerstone Dwight Ramos managed to toss in just four points as he focused on playmaking, further highlighting gaps left by the absences of AJ Edu and Scottie Thompson—two mainstays grounded by injuries.

Cold shooting

The Filipinos hit only five triples while the Turks converted 14 of their own, which could very well be a preview of how OQT host Latvia and Georgia would take on Gilas in Group A of the Riga showcase next week.

“We had our first taste of the type of opposition we will be facing in the OQT,” said Del Rosario. “We move on to the next game with a [more firm] belief that we can hold our own against higher-ranked teams with a real chance of reaching our mission of making it to Paris.”

Foes priming up

Gilas’ unsatisfied outlook may be warranted, especially with how the Philippines’ OQT assignments are faring in their respective preparatory matches.

Latvia, the sixth finest squad on the planet, gave its home crowd a preview of how well they could play on both ends with an 84-63 rout of Egypt behind Charlotte Hornet Davis Bertans and now-healthy Arturs Zagars. And they did so without Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis, who will be out for about six months after going through foot surgery.

The Latvian power forward suffered a “rare” leg injury in Game 2 of the NBA Finals earlier this month and will go under the knife to repair the problem.

READ: Latvia’s Porzingis to have surgery, out of OQT and Paris Olympics

“The injury doesn’t allow for consistent play at the level required for Olympic competition. Surgery will be performed in the coming days, and further updates will be provided when available,” the Celtics said.

They may have won in runaway fashion, but national coach Luca Banchi—as if putting opposing nations on notice—feels his squad has so much more to offer.

“It wasn’t our best game, but there were good episodes both for individual players and for the whole team when we found our rhythm,” he said in a report published by the Latvian Basketball Association. “We will try to take the next steps forward in Tampere.”

Georgia may have lost in their last two friendlies, bowing to Italy, 79-68, and then narrowly to Cameroon, 67-66. But a closer look at those defeats shows the Crusaders—especially NBA players Sandro Mamukelashvili and Goga Bitadze—thriving under the system brought by new Serbian coach Aleksandar Dzikic.

Gilas moves to Poland; Latvia, meanwhile, tackled Finland in Tampere; while Georgia played Egypt on Friday night (both Manila time) for their final tune-up matches. —with a report from AFP