Long, tough journey to Rio begins

CHANGSHA – From Changsha to the land of samba. From the depth of Olympic limbo to a place in Rio.

This will be the battle cry for the scrappy Gilas Pilipinas as it starts its campaign for a possible Olympic comeback next year.

It willl tangle with FIBA Asia newcomer Palestine in the morning session of a heavy eight-game kickoff of the 2015 FIBA Asia championship over two playing venues here today.

The Nationals are the heavy favorites and expected to stamp their class on the Palestinians as they brace for the real battles versus the regional heavyweights in the knockout round.

It’s Kuwait versus Hong Kong at 9:30 a.m. then the Philippines against Palestine at 11:45 p.m. in a pair Group B matches at the Changsha Social Work College Gymnasium.

Iran and Japan clash in a Group A tussle at 2:30 p.m., Korea and Jordan collide in a Group C showdown at 4:45 p.m. then host China plays Singapore in a Group C highlight game at 7:30 p.m.

The 9:30 p.m. closing match at the CSWC Gymnasium pits Group D teams Chinese Taipei versus Lebanon.

Over at the Central South University of Forestry and Technology Gymnasium, Malaysia and India face off in a Group A tiff at 7:30 p.m. then Kazakhstan and Qatar slug it out in a Group D match at 9:30 p.m.

The Nationals buckle down to work early, playing the first of prelims matches they’re expected to dominate on the way to booking a spot in the knockout round.

Coach Tab Baldwin said the idea is to continue to work hard in preparation for the medal-round games most probably against Iran and China.

“(We still have) more days ahead of us to prepare. We have some games we believe are important for us to obviously win.  Those games should help us for the games in the latter rounds where you’re gonna play the top teams in Asia,” Baldwin said.

They will also be out for routs against Palestine today, Kuwait tomorrow and Hong Kong Friday.

“The reality is we should control those games reasonably well. Those are games where we can continue to evolve our system, refine and perfect what we’re trying to do,” Baldwin said.

“We need to be dominant of those games,” he added.

Since the 2009 FIBA Asia, Team Phl has never been eliminated in the prelims. The Nationals, along with China, failed to make it past the elims in 2007 when they were bunched in the Group of Death with Iran and Jordan.

Palestine, Kuwait and Hong Kong are lightweights ranked outside the Top 10 in FIBA Asia ranking in the lead-up to the regional Olympic qualifier.

The Palestinians are ranked No. 12, just ahead of Kuwait, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore in their FIBA Asia Championship debut.

Previously competing in the FIBA Afro Games, Palestine once bagged the bronze medal in the 1964 African Championship.

The Palestinians qualified to the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship as they placed third behind Lebanon and Jordan in the West Asia Basketball Association Championship. They performed better than Syria and Iraq in the WABA eliminator.

Featuring a roster with an average height of 6-4 and an average age of 25, Team Palestine has 6-8 power forward Sani Sakakini as main man. He’s veteran of the Jordan, Chinese and the Lebanese leagues, averaging 20.4, 11.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals with the Hoops Club in Beirut recently.

Coach Jerry Steele has other key players in former Central Arkansas player Imad Qahwash, Salim Sakakini, Shadi Khatib and Hamza Yousef.

Conspicuously missing in their lineup is longtime star Omar Krayem, a streak shooter who suited up as Globalport’s Asian import in the last PBA Governors Cup.