Guiao aims for ‘saving grace’

FOSHAN – After bowing to Italy and Serbia in lopsided fashion, the Philippines will attempt to beat Angola in Group D action at the FIBA World Cup here this afternoon, looking for a balm to heal the painful wounds of defeat.

Gilas head coach Yeng Guiao said yesterday a win over Angola will be a “saving grace” in the wake of the blowout setbacks that are a wake-up call for a total overhaul of the national team development program looking forward to the 2023 World Cup the country is hosting. Beating Angola isn’t a sure thing but Guiao said at least, it won’t be another bloodbath.

“I expect a tight contest against Angola,” said Guiao. “They’re strong, physical, big and experienced in the international game. We’re out of the second round but we’ve got three more games to play. In 2014, we beat Senegal in overtime for our only win. Now, we’re playing another African team and we hope to match our record in the World Cup in Spain.”

Serbia and Italy will advance to the second round from Group D while Angola and the Philippines will be relegated to the classification round in Beijing. The Philippines will play two games at the Wukesong Arena in Beijing on Sept. 6 and 8. One will be against Iran and the other will be against either Puerto Rico or Tunisia. The classification round will determine standings from No. 17 to No. 32.

Gilas’ goal was to sneak into the second round and make it to the top 16. But that meant upsetting Italy, given that Serbia would be impossible to beat. Italy, however, wouldn’t be denied in its first appearance in the World Cup since 2006 after failing to qualify in the last two competitions. Serbia and Italy will slug it out for pole position in Group D tonight. 

Guiao said while he’s disappointed with Gilas’ performance, it’s not time to point fingers at anyone or anything. “It’s not over yet,” he said. “Of course, I’ve talked about our showing with the team, not out of anger but out of frustration. All I want is effort. I thought we showed more effort against Serbia than when we lost to Italy. I’m looking for improvement. This is a learning experience for everyone. Playing at the world level is different.”

So far, the Philippines has scored 129 points and given up 239 for a differential of 105. Angola has scored 120 and surrendered 197 for a differential of 77. Either Angola or the Philippines will wind up winless at the end of the first round.  An improvement over the Philippines’ finish in 2014 would be a soothing salve. In Spain, Gilas ended up No. 21 of 24, outranking Finland, South Korea and Egypt. Now, there are 32 teams in the mix.

Angola head coach Will Voigt is no stranger to the Philippine style of basketball. He was in Manila for two weeks to work with PBA team Phoenix in 2017 and later applied for the TNT job. Voigt, 43, is experienced in the international game and was the Nigerian coach at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Angola is on its eighth World Cup and has played in five Olympics.

Leading the charge for Angola are 6-9 Yanick Moreira of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, 6-3 Carlos Morais who was once in the Toronto Raptors camp, 6-6 Leonel Paulo, 6-10 Joaquim Valdelicio, 5-10 Gerson Domingos, 6-6 Jose Antonio, 6-6 naturalized player Reggie Moore of Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma and 6-4 Olimpio Cipriano who played for the Detroit Pistons in the 2007 NBA summer league. Also in the squad is 6-8 Eduardo Mingas who at 40 is the oldest player in the tournament.

Moreira, 28, is Angola’s starting center and will be a match for June Mar Fajardo. He had 15 points on 7-of-12 from the field and 1-of-2 free throws in Angola’s 92-61 loss to Italy the other day. Morais, who attended high school in the US, is averaging 12.5 points while Paulo is hitting at a 10 point clip. Paulo was ejected for headbutting Italy’s Alessandro Gentile in a disqualifying foul with 16.6 seconds left in the game last Monday. Valdelicio, known as Vander, is another inside threat. 

To beat Angola, Gilas must be aggressive, quick and accurate from the perimeter. Andray Blatche must also outdo himself after playing listlessly against Italy and Serbia. “I’m disappointed with Andray and he is also disappointed with himself,” said Guiao. “He’s our leader and we rely on him a lot. I’m hoping he’s able to bounce back with three more games to go.”