Still not out of woods

Despite sweeping its two assignments in the recent fourth FIBA World Cup Asia qualifying window, Gilas is still not out of the woods in chasing a slot to the Big Dance in Doha next year. If the qualifiers ended today, Gilas wouldn’t be among the eight Asia/Oceania teams advancing to the World Cup. There are four more games in two windows left for Gilas to creep into the magic circle. It’s a challenge but the mission is doable, particularly if Kai Sotto and Justin Brownlee or Bennie Boatwright are in harness.

At the moment, Australia is way above the rest with an 8-0 record in Group E then New Zealand is next at 6-2. The Boomers and Tall Blacks are shoo-ins to advance. Tied for third are Iran and Jordan, both at 5-3. The Philippines is fifth at 4-4 and Syria in the cellar at 2-6. In Group F, Lebanon and Japan are deadlocked for first with identical 6-2 marks. China is third at 5-3 then Qatar and South Korea are in fourth at 4-4 each. Saudi Arabia is sixth at 3-5. The top three finishers in each group at the end of six qualifying windows will book tickets to Doha. The team with the better fourth place record in both groups will also advance plus World Cup host Qatar.

Gilas’ next game is against Syria on Nov. 27 then Iran on Nov. 30 in the fifth window. In the last window, Gilas will play Jordan on Feb. 25 and Syria on Feb. 28. Venues will soon be announced for both windows.

Gilas’ win over Iran last Sunday was a clinic on defense. Iran was up by 13 in the first period but Gilas battled back to slowly, seize the initiative. Iran was held to only nine points in the fourth period as Gilas closed it out with a 7-0 punch that featured four different scorers. Iran started the fourth quarter with a 5-0 blast that overturned Gilas’ two-point lead. Then, Gilas broke out with a 19-4 barrage to seal it, 68-56. Mobin Sheikhi, 29, hit Iran’s last five points and finished with 21, the only player in double figures on his side. The 5-8 point guard was a surprise contributor for Iran as before the Gilas game, he’d averaged only 5.6 points. Cone admitted the scouting reports overlooked Sheikhi as Gilas’ defense focused on containing Mohammad Amini, Matin Aghajanpour and Arsalan Kazemi. Amini, a 6-7 forward, was shadowed by Kevin Quiambao. Former Gilas player Mason Amos remembered facing Amini in the 2022 FIBA U18 Asia Championships where the Iran hotshot averaged 19.2 points and 10 rebounds. Cone made sure Amini was limited and finished with seven points on 2-of-15 field goals and three of four free throws.