Gilas Pilipinas faces tough tests in final window

MANILA, Philippines — National coach Yeng Guiao and the members of his Gilas pool are trying hard to stay positive and focus on the goal at hand even with the tremendous pressure and extreme conditions they face in the final window of the FIBA World Cup qualifier.

“We are trying to keep ourselves relaxed. We’re trying to focus on the game plan and the system we’re playing. Walang maitutulong kung anu-ano pa ang isipin namin,” said Guiao, just a week before playing Qatar in the first of their last two assignments in the WC eliminator.

Qatar is out of the running for a WC berth, but the Qataris are expected to fight for pride in their home turf in Doha.

Then eventually, the Nationals will have to deal with a tough travel schedule from Qatar to Kazakhstan and the below-zero temperature in the Kazakh capital of Astana, the second-coldest capital city in the world after Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The travel from Manila to Doha is not a problem. The Nationals depart for the Qatari capital tomorrow, and they have four days there to practice with Andray Blatche before playing the Qataris Thursday at the Al-Gharafa Sports Club Multi-Purpose Hall.

Daunting is the trip to Kazakhtan then the one-day practice period the Nationals have for their game against the Kazakhs.

In the absence of a direct flight from Qatar to Kazakhstan, Gilas will have to endure a five-hour flight to Istanbul, an eight-hour layover and another five-hour journey to Almaty where they will be greeted by a negative 20 degrees (Celsius) temperature.

They will leave Doha the day after the Gilas-Qatar game, and they’re to arrive in Astana early Saturday morning. They will have only one day to acclimatize with the Astana weather as they play the Kazakhs the next day.

All the Nationals can do is to condition their mind to play in a weather that they have never experienced before.

But Guiao is hopeful they can endure everything and sweep the last two games that they need to do to qualify for the 2019 World Cup in China.

A split of the two matches wouldn’t guarantee the Nationals of FIBAWC entry.

For Gilas is currently in a precarious spot at 5-5 behind Australia (9-1), Iran (7-3) and Japan (6-4) in their group. The Nationals must finish in the Top Three for an outright FIBAWC passage.

On the same day Gilas plays Qatar in Doha, Japan faces Iran in Tehran. Iran is favored over Japan especially as the home team is bringing back old stars Hamed Haddadi and Nikkhah Bahrami.

If the Philippines and Japan finish tied at third, the Filipinos gain automatic berth on the winner-over-the-other rule. The Nationals swept the Japanese in their two-game series.