No. 1 Gilas takes on dangerous Al Jala'a

Manila, Philippines - Smart Gilas Pilipinas hopes to sustain its impressive form following its sweep of Group A marked by close win over Jordan as it clashes with Group B No. 4 Al Jala’a Syria in the quarterfinals of the 22nd FIBA-Asia Champions Cup before an expected big crowd at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City tonight.

The Nationals will go into their 6 p.m. duel with the Syrian League champs with momentum on their side after sweeping Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia, 101-69, KL Dragons of Malaysia, 95-64, Duhok of Iraq, 74-64, and then puling off a stirring win over Applied Science U of Jordan, 76-74, to clinch top seeding in Group A.

Al Jala’a, in contrast, finished fourth in its bracket with just a win to spare in four outings but remains a force to reckon with for its experience and perhaps with import Samaki Walker, a 6-9 center who was part of the Los Angeles Lakers that won the NBA title nine years ago.

Add to that the fact that the Mensur Bajramovic-mentored Syrian club team has beaten Smart Gilas, which is seeking to improve its fifth place finish in Jakarta, Indonesia two years ago and seventh place effort in Doha last year, twice in its only three meetings since the Nationals were formed three years back.

Al Jala’a won its first meeting in the group stages of the Dubai Invitationals two years ago but Smart Gilas got back at the former in the battle for third place in the same tournament. The Syrians then beat the Filipinos, 83-81, in a consolation match in last year’s edition in Doha, Qatar.

“We can’t be overconfident against Al Jala’a because they’re not only big, they’re very experienced team,” said Smart Gilas coach Rajko Toroman, who conducted a very light practice yesterday in preparation for the quarters.

The other quarterfinal pairings pit Group B topnotcher Al Riyadi of Lebanon against Group A No. 4 Duhok of Iraq at 2 p.m., Group B No. 2 reigning back-to-back champion Mahram of Iran versus Group A No. 3 Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia at 4 p.m. and Group A No. 2 ASU of Jordan against Group B No. 3 and last year’s runner-up Al Rayyan of Qatar at 8 p.m.

The winner of the Phl-Syria duel will collide with either Mahram of Iran or Al Ittihad of Saudia Arabia while the victor between Lebanon-Iraq showdown will tackle either ASU of Jordan or Al Rayyan of Qatar.

With a one-day rest, the Filipinos should come into their Al Jala’a game a bit recharged and re-energized.

“The boys are in high spirits but a little tired because of the schedule,” said Smart Gilas team manager Frankie Lim. “We had a very light practice, some shootaround but mostly we focused on viewing and scouting the games of our opponent.