CHANGSHA – Jordan star combo guard Sam Daghles is among those who firmly believe the Chinese can be beaten in their home turf.
Daghles and his teammates came close to beating China in the gold-medal game in Wuhan in 2013, and the Jordanians engaged the Chinese in a nip-and-tuck battle in the first half before fading away and eventually absorbing a 67-84 loss in their matchup here Friday.
“We don’t have a deep lineup and we did something wrong in our strategy,” said Daghles in their loss to the Chinese during their Group C match-up.
A renowned Asian player who had a stint with Talk n Text as Asian import in the last PBA Governors Cup, Daghles feels Gilas Pilipinas has a lineup that can hold its own against the Chinese, if ever they cross path in this FIBA Asia tourney.
“If Del (Ranidel de Ocampo) makes his shots and draws his defender out, Dray (Andray Blatche) can easily handle the other Chinese big guy in the lane,” said Daghles.
“I really believe they can be beaten. A key thing is to be physical against them,” Daghles also said.