Gilas comeback kings

Gilas coach Chot Reyes had to like what he saw from the national team in its three-game series with the PBA All-Stars in Cagayan de Oro, Lucena and Cebu last week. The players showed guts, determination, a winning attitude, teamwork, versatility and the ability to recover from big deficits.

In Cagayan de Oro, Gilas got a rude welcome as the Mindanao All-Stars raced to a 5-0 lead and led by four at the half. But, in the third period, Gilas cracked the whip and scored 38 points in a big explosion keyed by Carl Bryan Cruz, Terrence Romeo and R. R. Pogoy. Then, the All-Stars clawed back to force a stand-off, 114-all. Of the 12 Gilas players who saw action, only four made it to the final dozen – Romeo, Pogoy, Matthew Wright and JuneMar Fajardo.

Gilas’ lack of chemistry was reflected by 21 turnovers from which the All-Stars scored 16 points.  However, Gilas compensated with 26 assists and an edge in fastbreak points, 26-14 and second chance points, 20-14. Gilas outrebounded the All-Stars, 67-52, including 22-15 from the offensive boards. Fajardo grabbed 15 rebounds and Pogoy, 13. Even as Gilas failed to win, a consolation was Troy Rosario led the All-Stars charge with 28 points. Rosario and All-Star teammate Jio Jalalon would later be named to the Gilas final 12.

In Lucena, Gilas stormed back from a 17-point hole at 81-64 in the third quarter and detonated a 17-1 closing bomb to beat the Luzon All-Stars, 122-111. The comeback kings buried the All-Stars in the fourth period, 37-17. Calvin Abueva, Japeth Aguilar and Jayson Castro suited up for the All-Stars and combined for 36 points. Only four of Reyes’ final 12 played for Gilas – Rosario, Allein Maliksi, Wright and Raymond Almazan. Once more, Gilas displayed togetherness in compiling 28 dimes and won the battle of the boards, 63-59. A bright note for Gilas was its three-point shooting with 17-of-46 from beyond the arc. 

In Cebu, Reyes assembled 11 of his final 12 against the Visayas All-Stars with Andray Blatche the only absentee. Gilas survived a 15-point deficit to win, 125-112. For the third straight game, Gilas had more rebounds, 58-33 and collected over 20 assists with 26. Romeo and Abueva came off the bench to combine for 51 points. Of the 11 Gilas players, 10 logged at least 15 minutes as Reyes went to a deep rotation.

Gilas’ cast of 12 has an average age of 27.1 years with Aguilar, Castro and Blatche the oldest at 30. Five players are 25 or less – Romeo, 25, Rosario, 25, Wright, 25, Pogoy, 24 and Jalalon, 24. From the Gilas squad that played at the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain, the only holdovers are Castro, Blatche, Fajardo and Aguilar. From the Gilas team that took second at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championships in Changsha, the only holdovers are Castro, Blatche, Abueva and Romeo. And from the Gilas team that competed at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila last year, the only holdovers are Castro, Blatche, Aguilar, Romeo, Fajardo and Rosario.

Of the 11 PBA players on the Gilas final roster, everyone is averaging at least 20 minutes in the Commissioner’s Cup except Almazan (13.6). Romeo tops the list with 32 then Fajardo at 29 and Aguilar, 28.6. Believe it or not, Almazan is No. 1 in three-point shooting with 4-of-8 for 50 percent followed by Maliksi with 17-of-36 for 43.6 percent. Maliksi is hitting at a higher clip from beyond the arc than from two-point distance with 32.4 percent.

Jalalon has to brush up on his distance shooting as he’s 0-of-9 so far this conference. Rosario (15.4 percent), Abueva (27.3 percent) and Wright (23.8 percent) are others hitting less than 30 percent from three-point range.

Shooting less than 60 percent from the line are Pogoy (30.8 percent), Aguilar (52.9 percent), Almazan (53.8 percent) and Jalalon (59.1 percent). Those who are hitting at least 80 percent are Romeo (88.9), Fajardo (80), Wright (81.3) and Maliksi (81.8). Averaging at least four assists are Castro (7.3), Romeo (5.6) and Wright (4.2).