Jakarta—It now boils down to execution.
Philippine Team mentor Yeng Guiao and his coaching staff have scouted the enemy and mapped out a game plan.
It now depends on the Philippine basketball team to execute it to perfection when it takes on Korea at 10 a.m. (11 a.m. in Manila) in a do-or-die basketball quarterfinal match in the 2018 Asian Games today at the GBK Basketball Hall here.
“It’s the big game and we’re ready to play Korea. I feel good about this game, my feeling – as I’ve said – this game is even. I feel we have a good chance against the Koreans,” said Guiao.
If the Filipinos win, they take on either Iran or Japan – colliding at 12:30 in the afternoon – in the semifinals.
The other quarterfinal matches feature Taipei and Syria at 4 p.m., while host Indonesia takes on powerhouse China at 6:30 p.m., with the winners clashing in the other semifinal bracket.
Guiao conducted a three-hour session, with the first hour dedicated on team meeting and viewing, while the final two hours were spent on polishing the plays the Filipinos will use against the Koreans.
“Of course we want to win the game… we want to get to the medal round. We’ve prepared everything and we tried to keep our game plan as simple as we can,” said Guiao, whose team finished with a 1-1 card to claim No. 2 spot in Group D behind China’s 2-0.
“But it’s really hard to prepare against a team that there is no weakness. We put together a plan that we feel the best plan we can put together, and a lot now will really depend on execution. A lot will also depend on the desire and determination of this group to win,” added Guiao.
Korea, led by naturalized player Ricardo Ratliffe who averaged nearly 24 points with 13 rebounds during the elimination round, finished No. 1 in Group A with a perfect 3-0 record.
Aside from the 6’10: Ratliffe, who played as import for the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok in the PBA last season, Korea also have its deadly shooters like Lee Jung Hyun, Kim Sunhyung, Heo Ung, Heo Ilyoung, Jeon Junbeom and bigman Kang Sangjae.
As for the Philippines, Guiao, of course, has NBA player Jordan Clarkson of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had 28 points, eight rebound and six assists in an 82-80 loss to China – his debut game with the national team last Tuesday.