JAKARTA – Jordan Clarkson has continued to be a positive influence for everybody two days with the Philippine quintet here.
Everyone is all praises of the Fil-Am NBA player, who is proving worthy of his role as flag bearer of the Philippine delegation during the march past of nations in the 18th Asian Games opening ceremonies tonight at the Gelaro Bung Karno Sports Complex.
“He’s unassuming,” national basketball coach Yeng Guiao told The STAR.
And as expected, he is quick to adapt to his teammates.
“Our first practice with Jordan Clarkson went very smoothly. He caught on the patterns very quickly and he is also catching up knowing the players and getting acquainted with everybody,” said Guiao.
There’s no surprise on Clarkson catching up easily on Guiao’s system. “He has a very high IQ,” said Guiao.
Still, Guiao hopes to polish their game ahead of their match with China on Tuesday.
If the Nationals are able to sweep their Group D assignments, they will gain an easy matchup in the Final Eight. A loss against China may send Team Phl to a quarterfinals showdown with defending champion South Korea led by its naturalized player Ricardo Ratliffe.
The South Korean naturalized player is familiar to the Filipinos since he had tours of duty with Magnolia in the PBA.
Limited basketball venues here disallow Guiao from his desire to hold twice-a-day training sessions.
“Basketball courts are hard to come by here. If we can find an extra gym, we’ll go twice-a-day,” said Guiao.