Gilas Line Up - Image Source

With Asian Games fast approaching, the Philippine national team is now ready to face the challenge to compete Kazakhstan in their first game and China on their second game. They are now in focus on making sure that they will able to give their best during those games and trying to be one of the top two seed on their Group Stage. Which will give the opportunity for any team to advance to Quarter Finals.

Their matchup on Kazakhstan will not be that easy since it has been recorded that on last Asian Game Kazakhstan was able to rank 4th on the final standing while Philippines finish at 7th. The Philippines should make sure to be more competitive and aggressive while working on their defensive strategy to be able to beat Kazakhstan.

China has been recognized by Asian countries that have many promising athletic basketball players able to play in the NBA. There environment and training have been one of the primary reasons that they have nurtured such athletic players. The Philippines match up with China will be very exciting and should not be missed.

Gilas line up has been changed a lot and those players who are suspended for the previous brawl in FIBA with Australia was not included in the final list. We will be seeing another version of Gilas in basketball who are more calm and patient. Players chemistry with each other are totally set with their extensive practice and training games. Their preparation for Asian Games was really awesome where they are fully ready for any situation they will face during their basketball matches.

Clarkson will not be playing

Jordan Clarkson in practice game - Image Source

Many Filipino fans really expect that Jordan Clarkson will be playing with the Gilas team for Asian Games. Clarkson who is an NBA player has been excluded on the official list due to some FIBA regulations that exempt any NBA player to be a part of Asian Games. That limitation prohibits Clarkson to play for the Philippines. With Clarkson depressed about the official statement still put his dream that he will still able to play with the Philippines someday as one of the rosters.

Without Clarkson, Gilas players still on focus on achieving a good quality game towards their opponents and that they will make sure to put their all into the game. There might be cases of some pressure from the players because of the high expectation of Filipino fans. What needs to be done is that they should give their everything in every game so that either winning or losing, they will not feel down with it because they have provided good performance.

James Yap focus on three point

James Yap - Image Source

In such tournament, better three-point shooting should be observed since it is a good advantage of every team. That is why James Yap is really working hard on his three-point shooting that he could make a good contribution during their game matches. With his experience on PBA and international games such as William Jones Cup and Southeast Asian Games, he will be a good match up against other international players in Asian Games.