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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Undersized Gilas eyes payback vs Arakji-less Lebanon

Undersized Gilas eyes payback vs Arakji-less Lebanon

Published Mar 3, 2023 02:04 am

Short of height but certainly not lacking in heart, Gilas Pilipinas is no stranger playing undersized, making up for the few inches of length and heft missing with its fighting spirit.

Scottie Thompson is one of Gilas players who first played against Lebanon in the last window (FIBA photo)

And the sixth and final window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers wouldn’t be entirely different as the national team will be without its top bigs when it opens a two-game home stand which will also serve as a prelude to the spectacle, the 2023 FIBA World Cup, looming a few months from now.

The cry for the country’s pride and glory is expected to echo from all of the corners of the humongous 50,000-seater Philippine Arena on Friday, Feb. 24, as the nationals square off against previous tormentor Lebanon.

Tip-off of the match is at 6 p.m., with Gilas also aiming for a winning welcome for Justin Brownlee, who is finally making a long overdue national team debut.

The naturalized Filipino and resident Barangay Ginebra import, who has long displayed his Filipino heart and expressed his readiness to answer the call of flag and country, would finally realize the dream in front of his "kababayans" expected to swarm the entire arena.

Poised to join Brownlee in the lineup are Kings teammates Scottie Thompson and Jamie Malonzo, along with San Miguel Beer’s CJ Perez and June Mar Fajardo, and Gilas mainstay Dwight Ramos. 

All of them aside from Fajardo were part of the team that made the Middle East trip in the last window which lost to Lebanon, 85-81. The 6-foot-10 slotman will be the lone tower for Gilas following the absence of Kai Sotto and the injury of Japeth Aguilar.

Gilas has yet to release to its Final 12 as of press time but the rest of the talented pool can certainly form a potent roster around those guys as it hopes to exact revenge on the Cedars who defeated the Filipinos behind the heroics of FIBA Asia Cup MVP Wael Arakji.

The clutch Cedar forward, however, won’t be playing for Lebanon along with big man Ali Haidar as only half of the team that beat Gilas came to Manila.

Still, Gilas remains wary of the Lebanese team whose size and length advantage could certainly make up for the absence of their two top stars. The Cedars also remained a dangerous team with guys like Sergio El Darwich, Hayk Gyokchan and streaky shooter Amir Saoud still in the lineup.

Saoud, for one, is best remembered for his 41-point explosion, carrying the fight for Lebanese club Al-Riyadi against a Philippine contingent in the Strong Group team which was then bannered by NBA veterans Renaldo Balkman, Shabazz Muhammad and Nick Young.

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Scottie Thompson FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers gilas pilipinas Lebanon
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