Falcons: A dangerous unit

MANILA, Philippines — Jordan is bringing in the top gun of the FIBA World Cup’s Asian Qualifiers – Jalen Harris – as it rekindles its old rivalry with Gilas Pilipinas on Friday.

Harris, a former NBA player with the Toronto Raptors, led all scorers in the first round with 27 points per game on a 45.3-percent marksmanship from beyond the arc.

He is best remembered for his 42-point eruption spiked by eight triples in the Falcons’ 100-48 thrashing of Syria last November in the first round, which went down as the second-most points of all time by a player in a WCQ game – just two points short of shattering the 43 set by Korea’s Ra Gun (also known as Ricardo Ratliffe) back in 2018.

The 6-foot-5 Harris also averaged 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in his first six appearances with Jordan and powered the Falcons to an initial 5-1 record.

“Harris is always a threat on the floor and is one of those scorers who can heat up anytime,” was how the FIBA described the 28-year-old Harris, who succeeded Rondae Hollis-Jefferson as the Falcons’ naturalized player.

As such, coach Tim Cone’s squad is expected to have its hands full defensively as it faces the explosive Harris in the crucial Window 4 gig at the SM MOA Arena.

Also tipped to give the Nationals a headache are 6-foot-11 Ahmad Al Dwairi,  who accounted for 12.2 markers, 7.8 boards and 2.5 dimes per game, and 6-foot-2 playmaker Freddy Ibrahim, who posted 1.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists in Round 1.

The Pinoy dribblers are looking to reassert their mastery of Jordan coming off their 75-61 win in a pre-FIBA Asia Cup tuneup in Jeddah in August last year as well as their celebrated 70-60 triumph in their dispute for the Asian Games gold medal in Hangzhou in October 2023.