HANGZHOU—The men’s wheelchair basketball will start the bid for Team Philippines on Thursday ahead of the formal opening of the 4th Hangzhou Asian Para Games here.
Making their debut in the Asia-wide meet for physically challenged athletes, the Filipinos will battle host China at 4:15 p.m. at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.
Just like their elite counterparts, the Chinese para cagers are also known for their vaunted shooting, where Philippines’ coach Vernon Perea will mostly focus on his defensive strategy.
“If we can defend well against the outside shooting of the Chinese, we may have a chance against them. But admittedly it will be a hard and tough match for us,” said the bespectacled mentor.
Collectively known as the Pilipinas Warriors, the PH men’s wheelchair squad booked the Asian Games’ para slot following its third-place finish in the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation Asia-Oceania Championships last May in Suphanburi, Thailand behind Kuwait and Thailand.
This success was followed by the PH wheelchair quintet securing a pair of silvers in the men’s 3×3 and 5×5 competitions of the Cambodia ASEAN Para Games a month later.
In the build-up to the Hangzhou Asian Para Games, Perea’s charges captured the bronze medal in the Yutaka Nakamura Asian Dream Cup International Wheelchair Basketball Tournament in Japan last July.
Perea bared that they wound up in a tough group that also includes Iran, Thailand, and Afghanistan in the outing backed by the Philippine Sports Commission.
He bared on the eve of the opening match that the team’s morale was high after they won a tune-up match with the Taiwanese, 42-36, Wednesday morning before the meet takes a two-day break
Without revealing their total game plan, Perea said; “We can connect with our inside passes because I believe that our players can battle the Chinese on even terms in and around the basket.”
The Pilipinas Warriors play the Afghans on Friday before the tournament takes a two-day respite for the opening on Sunday.