Mission possible

Despite a 2-6 record in the recent Jones Cup, it’s not a lost cause for Powerade Team Pilipinas in bidding to finish among the top three at the FIBA-Asia conclave in Tianjin on Aug. 6-16 for a ticket to the World Championships in Turkey next year.

To be sure, the task won’t be easy.

In Tianjin, the Philippines is bracketed in Group A with Japan, Korea and Sri Lanka. The four teams play each other once with the last placer automatically given the pink slip. The three top finishers move on to play the top three in Group B, likely to be Iran, Chinese-Taipei and Kuwait. Uzbekistan will probably be eliminated in the first round with Group A’s Sri Lanka.

The six remaining teams from Groups A and B will then be rated according to their win-loss records, excluding the games against the early kick-outs. The top four teams advance to the quarterfinals, leaving two more behind.

It’s really not enough to make it to the quarterfinals. The big thing is to pick up the most number of wins because the No. 1 seed out of Groups A and B will engage the No. 4 seed out of Groups C and D in the knockout quarterfinals. If the Philippines advances as the No. 4 seed, it will play the No. 1 seed from Groups C and D, likely to be China. The goal is not to be matched up against a highly touted title contender in the quarterfinals.

The top four teams in Groups C and D will be China, Lebanon, Jordan and Qatar. Expected to exit are Kazakhstan, United Arab Emirates, India and Indonesia.

If the Philippines is the No. 2 seed, it will play the No. 3 seed from Groups C and D, probably Jordan.

A win in the quarterfinals will mean a berth in the semifinals, also a knockout affair. A win in the semifinals will earn a ticket to the World Championships and a chance to play for the FIBA-Asia crown.

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There were a lot of bitter lessons learned in the Jones Cup, lessons Powerade should’ve known long ago with the benefit of scouting, homework and consulting. Obviously, an undersized team like Powerade isn’t going to get the job done backing in at low post and trying to overpower bigger defenders. Not even Japeth Aguilar is threatening enough to invite a double team. Powerade’s handicap is lack of time – the PBA ended its season the day before the Jones Cup started so it was next to impossible to generate more practice, scouting and homework hours.

The key is to shoot a high percentage from outside, preferably in the three-point zone. The ball shouldn’t stay in the hands of any one player more than three seconds, giving a premium to quick passing and movement. There must be pressure in the backcourt to stall the other team from executing its offense and maybe, create turnovers that could lead to easy layups. Free throws are crucial – an underdog team can’t afford to throw away points by missing foul shots. Rebounding must be a team effort with the box-out a vital ingredient in clearing the boards.

Conditioning is a priority because in Tainjin, just like in the Jones Cup, games are played everyday and Powerade must be ready to run both ways. There will be little time for rest so that whenever an opportunity comes to heal aching muscles, players must stay in their rooms to relax.

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Powerade is a selection of PBA stars and it’s coach Yeng Guiao’s challenge to whip the troops into a cohensive, fighting unit. The players must think as one, not as single parts of a team. Chemistry is important because when the going gets tough, the players must be able to lock arms, grit their teeth, pull together and give it all they’ve got.

PBA media affairs bureau chief Willie Marcial, who was in Taipei for the Jones Cup, said he suspects Guiao pulled his punches to avoid baring all his cards for Tianjin. His estimate is Powerade played only from 70 to 80 percent capacity. The 20 to 30 percent that Guiao held back could be the difference between making it to the quarterfinals or not in Tianjin.

A review of Powerade’s Jones Cup results confirms Marcial’s point. Mick Pennisi played only once in eight games. James Yap missed the last two outings to fly back to Manila and join wife Kris at ailing former President Cory Aquino’s bedside in the hospital. Jay-Jay Helterbrand sat out the first two and the last two games, displaying just a fraction of what he does on the floor.

Marcial said he’s not making excuses but it was evident in several game instances, that Guiao showed no reaction to turning-of-the-tide situations, often not calling timeouts, not making substitutions. That was an offshot of his experimentation.

Marcial said Japan, Chinese-Taipei and Korea are beatable in Tianjin but admitted Iran, Jordan and Lebanon will be difficult to topple. Luckily, Jordan and Lebanon are in Groups C and D, meaning they won’t face the Philippines until perhaps, the quarterfinals.

Still, that’s not to take Japan, Chinese-Taipei or Korea lightly.

At the moment, Guiao is feverishly trying to sharpen the Powerade cagers’ outside shooting skills. He’s moved the team practices to the Moro Lorenzo gym where there are baskets all around the court. Guiao wants the players to refine their stroke and make it automatic. But is there enough time? For sure, there will be defensive and rebounding drills, too, anticipating what the opposition will bring to the table in Tianjin.

The mission is daunting but it isn’t impossible. The knockout quarterfinals format favors the underdog team because it boils down to a hit-or-miss situation. In 10 games, the Philippines will probably beat China only once or twice. In a knockout game, that 1-in-10 or 2-in-10 chance might just happen. It happened in the UAAP a few days ago when UP upset Ateneo.

Powerade’s immediate priority is to win as many games as possible in the pre-quarterfinal eliminations – which means it must bring down Japan, Korea and Chinese-Taipei or at least two of them to make sure of a fighting chance in the quarterfinals.