MANILA, Philippines – Nothing much is at stake for Gilas Pilipinas when it takes the floor at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium on Thursday, February 20, for the last window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
Already at the top of the Group B standings with a 4-0 record, the Philippines has clinched a slot to the main tournament of the FIBA Asia Cup which will be hosted by Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on August 5-17 this year.
The same cannot be said, however, for the team that Gilas Pilipinas will face.
Chinese Taipei is in a desperate state, occupying third place in Group B with a 1-3 record. Its lone victory came last November against Hong Kong, which is at the bottom of the standings with a 0-4 slate.
Both Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong will gun for third place by the end of this window to earn a ticket to the last qualifying tournament, which will pit the third-place teams from all the six groups.
When the Philippines and Chinese Taipei locked horns a year ago during the first qualifying window, Gilas coach Tim Cone’s wards were merciless in thumping the Taiwanese, 106-53, at the PhilSports Arena.
Chinese Taipei star Cheng Liu topscored for the visitors with 13, but he shot an anemic 5-of-14 from the field, due largely to the suffocating defense of Chris Newsome. No other player from Chinese Taipei scored in double figures.
But a lot has changed since that February 2024 window, if the Taiwanese’s recent performance is any indication.
Last November 21, Chinese Taipei blasted Hong Kong, 85-55, in a game that was never close from the opening tip-off.
The Taiwanese then followed it up on November 25 with a gallant performance against New Zealand, which resulted in an 81-64 loss in a game where Chinese Taipei was down by just 5 points at the end of the third quarter.
So Gilas Pilipinas cannot expect to simply collect another breezy victory.
Not only will it face a team that’s battling for its tournament life, it’s also going up against a new-look opponent that is very much capable of pulling off an upset.
Only four of those who saw action against Gilas Pilipinas are still part of Chinese Taipei’s 16-man pool for this latest and last FIBA window.
Italian coach Gianluca Tucci kept Cheng Liu as one of his holdovers, then tapped a few more to make up the core of his squad — Japan B. League players Mohammad Al Bachir Gadiaga and Tseng Hsiang-Chun; Chinese Basketball Association veteran Ting-Chien Lin; 7-foot naturalized center Brandon Gilbeck from US Division 1 school Western Illinois; and returning gunner Chun Hsiang Lu.
This good mix of talent and experience, plus the crowd support that comes with the home court edge, could give Chinese Taipei more than a puncher’s chance against a Gilas Pilipinas squad that has shown vulnerability in the Doha International Cup in Qatar this past week.
In Gilbeck, Chinese Taipei has an intimidating rim protector who, in his senior collegiate year, led the entire US NCAA Division I in shot blocks.
June Mar Fajardo and AJ Edu will have to attack Gilbeck’s defense and force him into foul trouble, but at the risk of getting rejected multiple times over.
Gilbeck swatted away 5 shots against Hong Kong, but was even more tenacious against New Zealand, against whom he registered 7 blocks.
The towering center is not a known big scorer, averaging a respectable 11.5 points in his first two FIBA outings, but Chinese Taipei will have plenty of offensive options, particularly from the backcourt and wings, who will attempt to puncture the Gilas defense all game long.
Gadiaga and Lu are both 6-foot-2 wingmen who can light up the scoreboard and will force Newsome, CJ Perez, Dwight Ramos, and Calvin Oftana to be on their toes.
Born to an American mother and a Senegalese father, Gadiaga first played for Chinese Taipei as a naturalized player but was eventually recognized by FIBA as a local by virtue of him being raised in Taiwan.
Gadiaga, who plays for the Akita Northern Happinets in Japan, dropped 18 points against Hong Kong, spiked by four triples, then had 14 points against New Zealand on 7-of-11 shooting.
Lu, who is back with the national team for the first time since 2021 when he normed 9.7 points in three games during the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, poured in 12 points against the Tall Blacks.
The 6-foot-3 Liu and the 6-foot-5 Lin, meanwhile, are also known and proven scorers who will provide Chinese Taipei with more offensive ammunition.
From 2014 till 2022, the 34-year-old Liu has averaged in double figures in six out of seven FIBA competitions that he has played in.
Lin is also having a spectacular season in China for the Tianjin Pioneers where he averages 18.3 points and 5.7 assists.
Chinese Taipei will clearly not be lacking in size with Gilbeck manning the interior along with a trio of 6-foot-7 frontliners — Tseng Hsiang-Chun of the Nagoya Fighting Eagles in the Japan B. League, US NCAA Division I product Sam Manu from the UC Davis Aggies, and Ma Chien-Hao.
Without the injured Kai Sotto, Gilas Pilipinas may not have that much of a height advantage over Chinese Taipei.
Gilas Pilipinas, coming from back-to-back blow-out losses in Doha, will surely try to regain its winning ways by notching a victory on Thursday. But the national squad best be prepared for a home team that’s fighting for survival. – Rappler.com