source: Nelson Beltran | philstar.com
Powerade Team Pilipinas has set a close-door tuneup game with Lebanon at 2 p.m. tomorrow at the Moro Lorenzo Gym inside Ateneo in a match serving as the final gauge for the members of the national team to the coming Fiba-Asia Championship.
RP coach Yeng Guiao has not ruled out the possibility of Ranidel de Ocampo or Ryan Reyes coming on board, replacing a player in the original 12-man lineup submitted to Fiba-Asia last July 22.
Asi Taulava has been asked to shape up while Arwind Santos is under scrutiny for his defensive breakdowns during the Jones Cup.
Guiao has assured Reyes that he would be reactivated once he gets back into shape.
But eight days before the opening of the Tianjin Asian world qualifier, Reyes was still far from top form, unable to join the team in any drill.
“He’s with us in practice but he’s limited to shooting,” said Guiao.
In the final week before the Asian joust, Guiao said they will work hard to improve on their shooting and practice new patterns suited with international plays as they’ve seen in the Jones Cup.
“We’ve done the adjustments. Hopefully, we can run it fluidly by the time we play in Tianjin,” said Guiao.
They have the opportunity to test it as they take on the Lebanese in their final tuneup game before leaving for China on Tuesday.
The Lebanese team opted to pitch camp in Manila after the Jones Cup in the final stage of its own buildup for the Asian meet.
The Lebanese are among the favorites to make the world meet with a lineup featuring two NBA veterans in Jackson Vroman and Matt Freije plus old standouts Fadi El Khatib and Brian Feghali.
Vroman and Feghali combined for 53 points and 17 rebounds in powering Lebanon past the Philippines, 95-83, in their match in the Jones Cup.
Lebanon finished second to Iran in the Jones Cup as it played Vroman and Freije only in their last few games in Chinese Taipei.
Vroman and Freije are both all-around 6-foot-10 behemoths.
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