Yeng Guiao says chemistry not an issue

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas head coach Yeng Guiao said yesterday chemistry won’t be an issue when the national team plays Qatar on Feb. 21 and Kazakhstan on Feb. 24, both away from home, in the last window of the FIBA Asia/Pacific World Cup Qualifiers even as Andray Blatche participated in only a handful of practices.

Blatche was in Manila for 10 days of workouts before flying back to rejoin his Chinese league team Tianjin last Monday. In his return to China, Blatche compiled 20 points, six rebounds and five assists in 32:54 minutes in Tianjin’s 135-112 loss to Fujian last Wednesday. Blatche shot 7-of-18 from the field, including 5-of-13 from beyond the arc. Since Blatche signed up with the Gold Lions last December, Tianjin has posted a 4-10 record.  Before Blatche’s arrival, the team was 5-20.

Guiao said he couldn’t ask more from Blatche who’ll be the centerpiece in Gilas’ offense in the final two qualifying games. “Blatche has done well in practice,” said Guiao. “I don’t see any problems with blending or chemistry. Most of our players have played with Andray except for Poy (Erram), Mark (Barroca), Scottie (Thompson) and Marcio (Lassiter). Andray’s skills are tailor-made for the system we run. Andray likes the system and his teammates which makes the process a lot easier.”

Blatche reported for three full practice sessions with Gilas during his 10-day stay. He also attended three practices with NLEX, which Guiao coaches in the PBA, and one with Rain Or Shine whose head coach Caloy Garcia is in the Gilas staff as an assistant. Guiao said he uses the same system in NLEX as in Gilas. 

Guiao said he has devised some new plays to maximize Blatche’s presence and skillset. “Our shooters will get better looks because of the attention he demands from the defense,” noted Guiao. “This is great for Marcio, R.R. (Pogoy) and our other shooters.”

A player who’s making his Gilas debut is Barroca. Guiao said he’s a “nice fit” with the team. “Mark brings his defensive hustle with veteran leadership,” he said. “He alternates well with Jayson (Castro) at the point.”

Guiao said he’s not taking any chances in preparing for the sixth window. So far, six teams have been eliminated among the 16 contenders chasing seven spots allocated for Asia/Pacific in the World Cup, excluding host China which has an outright ticket. The eliminated teams are Iraq, India, Chinese-Taipei, Hong Kong, Syria and Qatar. Iraq, India, Chinese-Taipei and Hong Kong were struck out in the first round. Syria and Qatar are still playing in the second round but with their 2-8 records, are no longer in contention.

Gilas will play Qatar in Doha on Feb. 21 and Guiao said he’s not taking the host country lightly even if it has no chance of advancing. “Qatar has a new coach (Panos Yiannara of Serbia) who might be bringing in a new system,” said Guiao. “We are studying their last few games, especially against Australia, hoping to minimize surprises.” 

Yiannara replaced Britisher Tim Lewis for the fifth window where Qatar was blown out by Japan, 85-47 and Australia, 110-59. When the Philippines beat Qatar, 92-81, in the fifth window, Guiao crossed swords with Lewis. Against Australia, Qatar suited up its two Bosnian recruits, 6-11 Emir Mujkic and 6-7 Faris Avdic and 6-2 Moamar Gueye of Senegal.  The three imports were naturalized to become Qatari passport holders. In 2014, Qatar brought in nine Bosnians who were issued Qatari passports before they turned 16. Three Senegal players were also recruited and given Qatari passports. FIBA recognizes foreigners as locals if they receive their passports before turning 16 and allows only one naturalized player for a national team.

Guiao said Kazakhstan has enlisted a new naturalized player Anthony Clemmons of the University of Iowa to play against the Philippines. Clemmons, 24, is a 6-1 point guard who played in Austria for a season before joining Astana in the Kazakh league in 2017. “We are collecting materials on Clemmons,” said Guiao. “We are adjusting our defense against Kazakhstan to prevent making the same mistakes the last time.”