Dissecting Gilas' win over Qatar

MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas was staring at a third consecutive loss in the Asian Qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA World Cup when they went down, twice by 17 in the first half, and 13 at the break. But the home team showed its pride and played stifling defense in the second to take the starch out of Qatar for a much-needed 92-81 win.

Did the closed-door match have an effect on the Philippines’ early play?

No. Not at all. We struggle to get off the gate at times. If anything, Qatar’s stellar shooting in the opening period (52.9 percent, including four triples). Anytime those outside shots go in for any team, it wreaks havoc on the defensive end.

I like what coach Yeng Guiao said before the match when he told the team to visualize the crowds at home watching and rooting for them. That is plenty good in the absence of a crowd.

2/3 of the replacement killers had a huge impact on the outcome

Okay, let’s take a look at how the personnel changes performed.
Japeth Aguilar – 16 points, 9 rebounds and 1 block
Matthew Wright – 6 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist
Stanley Pringle – 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and NO TURNOVERS

Coach Yeng “agonized” — his word — over replacing Christian Standhardinger, who was the best player in the loss to Iran, for Stanley Pringle. In the first half, it seemed like a mistake that would haunt Team Philippines (more so since a hard-charging Japan sude defeated a Samad Nikkah Bahrami and Hamed Haddadi-less Iran, 70-56, to pull abreast even if only for a few hours in the win column).

But the Pinoys showed their pride and mettle in the second half. 

Aguilar and Pringle were outstanding in the second half (Wright struggled in the game and wasn’t able to score in the second half). The Philippines won the battle inside the paint (52-40 in rebounds and 42-40 in inside points). The willingness to take it inside saw the Nationals troop to the free throw line more 32 times to the 27 of Qatar.

Aguilar scored a lot of crucial points and had defensive stops. Pringle also showed his derring-do by taking it in repeatedly. 

Yes, speed killed Qatar

One aspect Guiao pointed out in the insertion of Pringle in the roster was speed. With Pringle, Alex Cabagnot and Scottie Thompson leading the way, they pushed the pace. By the second half, Qatar looked tired and unable to keep up with the Philippines’ game. 

We might not have scored a ton of fast break points, but the quicker pace affected them. You can see the slowness in transition and the jumpshots that began to fall short. 

And that leads me to the next point… the expert juggling of the bench

No Filipino player played more than 23 minutes. In fact, only three players played more than 20 minutes — Pringle, Aguilar and Lassiter. 

I know that Tim Lewis was missing a lot of his key players, but the short rotation did not help his team. 

Four players played more than 30 minutes — Tanguy Ngombo (36), Nasser Al-Rayes 934), Yousuf Mohammad (32) and Khalid Abdi (the player formerly known as Yaseen Musa played 31 before getting tossed for two consecutive technical fouls). 

Before flying over, Ngombo, Al-Rayes and Abdi played 25, 22 and 20 minutes, respectively, in the blowout loss to Australia. Yousuf Mohammad played 18 minutes and was sent to the bench after two fouls and the blowout in progress (they sat him the rest of the way to rest him against the Philippines).

The Philippines, on the other hand, saw Standhardinger playing 32 minutes against Iran, Cabagnot close to 30, and Norwood 25 minutes. Standhardinger sat this game out while the latter two saw fewer minutes against Qatar. 

And perhaps, the best barometer of this aspect is how all 12 Gilas played scored at least 2 points. 

The manner in which Yeng Guiao handled the team

When Guiao was in charge of the Powerade Pilipinas team before, people opined that coach didn’t do much scouting, or too much Xs and Os.

But as I always say (others too) — basketball is a simple game. People just make it complicated much like life.

Prior to the game, Guiao asked this writer as media officer that the team could get the team photo out of the way even before the official team announcements. He told me that they didn’t plan on going back to the locker room because they had done all the briefing and talking they needed. “Alam na nga mga boys kung ano gagawin. We talk too much, we run the risk of information overload. These guys are pros.”

I nodded in agreement. 

In the midst of Qatar’s first half blitz, Guiao didn’t yell or shout. He remained in control. The last thing you need at this point is to read the riot act no matter how bad the team was playing. “Sometimes,” Guiao told me after the game, “you just need to appeal to their better selves and a kind word will get things done.”

Nicely, I must say. And now the Philippines totes a 5-3 record, a game behind Iran and one up on Japan heading into the second to the last window this November and December. 

Good job!