Gilas loses 4th in a row; Castro, Lee to undergo MRI

MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas suffered a double whammy when they lost to Euskadi (Basque national team), 75-66, and Jayson Castro to injury Tuesday (Wednesday Manila time) in San Sebastian, Spain.

Still reeling from their three straight losses in Antibes, France, and an injury to Paul Lee, Gilas started out flat and fell behind by as many as 20 points against their younger opponents and worst, Castro was added to the casualty with a suspected strained Achilles Tendon.

"We will know more after the MRI later. Jayson (ankle), Paul (glutes)," Gilas team manager Aboy Castro told Philstar.com in a text message sent Wednesday morning in Spain. 

Without the FIBA Asia Mythical Five member, Gilas fought with great resolve and got their acts together in the fourth quarter as they managed to cut the deficit down to six.

Naturalized center Andray Blatche, who returned from a minor ankle injury, missed a 3-pointer that could have trimmed the gap further. Jared Dillinger was also called for an unsportsmanlike foul as Gilas ran out of time.

Gilas coach Chot Reyes told News5 that they shot poorly in the first half and tried out new things which they worked out earlier at practice. He also rued the "poor" unsportsmanlike fouls slapped on them in the end, which stopped the momentum of their fourth quarter comeback.

But the loss was not really a concern since the team has been experimenting on several new plays and rotations that they intend to use in the FIBA World Cup. What got him really worried him are the injuries that hit the team two weeks prior to the tournament.

Lee sat out for the second straight game with pain on his lower back down to his hamstring. 

“Andray is okay. He played already today. We’ll find out Paul and Jayson tomorrow. We have to expect the worst,” Reyes told News5.

TV5 will air the game Thursday night at 8:00 p.m.

“I felt we could have won that game, we should have beaten this team but you know that’s how things go. Our biggest concern in the ballgame was the injury to Jayson Castro. He just strained his Achilles tendon and basically was walking and just receiving the ball,” Reyes was quoted saying.

Their dribble drive offense will take a toll without Lee and Castro, according to Reyes. 

“They are the best players in the team who can break down the opponents’ defense.  We have to reconsider our strategies and tactics,” Reyes explained. 

Reyes and his coaching staff composed of his son Josh, Jong Uichico and team consultants former New Zealand coach Tab Baldwin and former Ivory Coast coach Natxo Lezcano will go back to the drawing board to plot an emergency plan in case Castro and Lee will miss the world championships.

“That really bothers us. That’s why we keep playing Jared Dillinger and Beau Belga in the tuneups because you know we have to keep them sharp in the event that something like this happens. Our greatest fear is our players to have injuries going into Aug. 30,” Reyes added.

Gilas will next face Angola on Thursday.