Dickel warns Gilas squad of complacency

MANILA, Philippines — Though up against lower-ranked Southeast Asian rivals, Gilas Pilipinas coach Mark Dickel said it won’t do the Nationals any good if they think the opening window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers against Thailand and Indonesia would be a walk in the park. 

“They’re more than capable,” said Dickel of their opponents – SEA Games runner-up Thailand on Feb. 20 at home and Rajko Toroman-mentored Indonesia three days later in Jakarta.

“What we saw in the SEA Games, with a different roster than we’re going to have, (they) presented us with problems. They’re going to be difficult games for us. We got to approach them like we’re playing teams capable of beating us because if we don’t come ready, we’ll be in trouble in those games,” he added.

Dickel has two weeks to get the fancied but still not match-fit Pinoy cagers ready for the Qualifiers, with Gilas program director Tab Baldwin and assistants Sandy Arespacochaga, Topex Robinson and Alex Compton giving a hand.

The TNT KaTropa consultant assembled a 24-man “hybrid pool” made up of 13 collegiate stars and new grads and 11 PBA stalwarts.

Dickel’s pool, though, was reduced by three following the pullout of Fil-German Christian Standhardinger (knee issues), high-flying frontliner Japeth Aguilar  (going on a delayed honeymoon), and Mac Belo (undergoing rehab on knee).

Baldwin said they can’t tap replacements from outside the pool so the remaining bigs like Isaac Go and pros Poy Erram and Marc Pingris will have to work double time.

“Rule’s restricted to the 24 we named. So ouf of that 24, we’ll have 15 (then) 12 and it’s not uncommon to have issues with 24 payers but obviously what’s a little bit alarming is that it seems all of our issues rest with the big men right now,” said Baldwin.

“It’s tough to play without our bigs but obviously we’ll be a team that will be identified by energy ‘coz there’ll be youth there and speed but we better learn and learn how to play together,” he added.

To get Gilas to jell faster, Baldwin said they followed the template of coach Tim Cone in the SEAG, where players familiar with his system formed the nucleus. If Cone had Ginebra stalwarts in the SEA Games team, the current Gilas consists of players from Dickel’s PBA team TNT KaTropa and from Baldwin’s Ateneo, as well as Kiefer Ravena and Erram from another MVP team, NLEX.