Dickel sees longer preparation in postponement

Gilas Pilipinas coach Mark Dickel rued the postponement of the Fiba Asia Cup 2021 qualifying game against Thailand but said that the team will use the break to further prepare for the match.

“[It] is disappointing to not be playing next week,” Dickel, appointed head coach on an interim basis, said.

The country was supposed to host Thailand on Feb. 20 at Smart Araneta Coliseum before the indefinite postponement of the match due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Inquirer earlier broke the story of the postponement, citing a reliable source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“The game here in the Philippines, as things stand, is 90 percent canceled,” the source said early Thursday. “There’s already a memo out.”There was no news yet on the road game against Indonesia on Feb. 23, although the source told the Inquirer that the game “may still push through.”

There is still no new date for the Thailand match and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas has yet to make a statement regarding

the postponement as of press time.

“Whenever the dates are, we will be more prepared,” Dickel said.