July 22, 2017

2017 Jones Cup Preview: GILAS PILIPINAS (PHL) vs INDIA (IND) - JULY 22, 2017


Gilas Pilipinas ran into a brick wall yesteday when they played a vey efficient and disciplined Lithuanian side. They fell to 4-3 and are officially out of the title ace, but they can salvage some pride today against India. This will be a bit of a grudge match and payback game for Gilas since the last time these two teams met in an international tournament, India beat Gilas (FIBA Asia Challenge 2016). That should many of the guys here a lot of motivation heading into this match.

- India have struggled mightily in this competition so far, mainly due to the fact that 3 of their top 4 players are not around and, unlike many other teams, they do not have a naturalized player. Still, India have been very competitive in stretches, and as long as they stick with Gilas for around 3 quraters, pretty much anything can happen.

GILAS PILIPINAS roster & stats from Day 7
Ray Parks, Jr. - 6'4 - 1ast
Kobe Paras - 6'6 - DNP
Mac Belo - 6'3 - 1eb
Fonzo Gotladera - 6'5 - DNP
Sponsored content:
Von Pessumal - 6'2 - DNP
Almond Vosotros - 5'11 - DNP
Jio Jalalon - 5'10 - 5pts, 3rebs, 2stls
Mike Tolomia - 5'11 - DNP
Ed Daquioag - 6'1 - DNP
RR Pogoy - 6'2 - 13pts, 2rebs, 2stls
Matthew Wright - 6'4 - 13pts, 2rebs, 3mistakes
Kevin Ferrer - 6'5 - 0pts, 1reb, 1ast
Carl Cruz - 6'5 - 10pts, 2rebs, 3 triples
Christian Standhardinger - 6'8 - 9pts, 2rebs, 2stls
Sponsored content:
Raymar Jose - 6'5 - 2pts, 1reb, 1ast
Kiefer Ravena - 6'1 - 14pts, 2rebs, 5asts, 1stl
Michael Myers - 6'9 - 14pts, 7rebs, 3stls

INDIA roster & stats from Day 7
Arshpreet Singh Bhullar - 6'3 - G - DNPs
Prudhvishwar Reddy Ambati - 6'1 - G - 2rebs, 2stls, 3asts
Anil Kumar Bukankere Krishne Gowda - 6'2 - G - 9pts, 2stls
Arjun Singh - 6'3 - G - 0pts
Pratham Singh - 6'3 - G - 6pts
Basil Philip - 6'1 - G - 0pts, 1reb
Jeevanatham Pandi - 6'9 - C - 4pts, 2rebs, 2blks
Rikin Pethani - 6'8 - C/F - 5pts, 3rebs, 1ast, 1stl
Amjyot Singh - 6'8 - C/F - 13pts, 3asts, 1stl, 1blk
Baladneshwar Poiyamozhi - 5'11 - G - 2asts
Gurvinder Singh - 6'7 - F - 11pts, 5rebs, 1stl
Prasanna Venkatesh Sivakumar - 6'5 - F - 15pts, 4rebs, 3asts
Muin Bek Hafeez - 6'3 - 9pts, 3rebs, 2stls

Game Notes:
1) PHI: DEFENSE DISRUPTS OFFENSE
- LTU handed Gilas a sound beating that was mainly due to efficient ball movement and the ability to shred the defense. Gilas cannot afford to have that against a team like India. The Pinoys cannot and should not overlook and dismiss their foes.

Last game:
Asts - LTU 19, PHI 8
Rebs - LTU 32, PHI 23
FG% - LTU 54.8%, PHI 44.3%

2) PHI: CHRISTIAN CHECKING OUT?
- Fil-German big guy Christian Standhardinger has been a vey productive member of Gilas these past couple of weeks, but we also saw him get physical and even dirty with Iraq. His production has taken a hit, though, and that makes me beg the question — is he being fatigued or is he checking out already?

1st 5 games: 14.0ppg, 7.7 rebs.
Last 2 games: 6.5ppg, 2.5rpg

3) PHI: KIEF IT UP!
- Kiefer Ravena had to adjust big time when he moved back to the PG spot foR the national team, but it seems he has actually been thriving. What is great about Kief is that he reads situations very well. He has tremendous court vision and oftentimes makes the correct decisions in many in-game situations.

1st 3 games: 10.0ppg, 11.3rpg, 42.9 FG%
Last 3 games: 17.0ppg, 17.3rpg, 53.3 FG%

4) IND: REBOUNDING FUTILITY
- IND was outworked, outhustled and outpushed, and if they cannot rectify that situation, we will be forced to sell this property. Gilas should continue pounding the glass and getting those boards.

Last game rebs:
CAN 56, IND 22rebs
PHI 23, LTU 32

5) IND: AMAZING AMJYOT
- Amjyot Singh is a member of India's Big Four, and he has been quite impressive in Taiwan. Despite IND losing left and right, at least they know that there is at least one guy who has been consistently great, but he is hardly enough to carry IND past GILAS.

Stats - 17.2ppg, 3.5pg, 2.3apg, 1.0spg, 1.3bpg
Last game - 13pts, 3asts

6) PAYBACK TIME
- Gilas lost to India for the first time in a loooong time in last year's FIBA Asia Challenge, 91-83. They have a golden chance for payback here, so it will be interesting to see what the level of intensity is going to be like. In that game, IND ourtebounded Gilas and pretty much dominated in every aspect also. Gilas needs to display a smoother flow to their offense while also putting the clamps on Amjyot.

vs IND in 2016:
Rebs - IND 55, PHI 47
Fouls Committed - IND 22, PHI 31
Fast bReak Pts - IND 14, PHI 2
Fast Beak Pts - 24pts, 12Rebs,


(Photo: CTBA)