AFTER logging in hours of practice sessions, workouts and a few scrimmages in its FIBA World Cup buildup from Manila and Laguna to its current training hub in Estonia, Gilas Pilipinas finally faces a real on-court test against tough European opponents.
The Pinoy dribblers are scheduled to play the Estonian national team today and their counterparts from Finland tomorrow as they tackle this pivotal component of their ongoing camp in Tallinn.
The two friendlies are designed to gauge their status less than two months before the big battle and provide valuable exposure to the European brand of play in preparation for Italy as well as the Dominican Republic and Angola in the actual WC in August.
Estonia, which has a ranking on 44th, didn’t qualify for the WC but with its average height of 6-foot-7 and strength, it will still be a handful for the visitors. It won’t get easier the next day against the 24th-ranked Finnish, who themselves are preparing for their WC campaign against Germany, Australia and Japan.
“We watched the previous game of Estonia where they played Italy and they played really, really well. They’re a strong team, very tall, and very experienced. We know Finland is strong as well,” Gilas coach Chot Reyes said in an interview posted by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.
“I think we’re going to learn a lot in the two games that are coming,” he added.
Of the 12 pool members in this Euro team, only AJ Edu isn’t expected to suit up yet as he continues to recover from an ankle injury. According to Mr. Reyes, Edu may need another week before going full-blast. The good news is, June Mar Fajardo and Japeth Aguilar have already joined 5-on-5 full-contact scrimmages and are “moving very well”
Mr. Reyes said he also expects naturalized player Justin Brownlee, who flew in from US after his “non-basketball medical procedure,” to be on duty for the friendlies.
Gilas will leave Estonia on Thursday and head to Lithuania for the next leg of its camp, which will feature four or five more tuneup matches. — Olmin Leyba