Hour of reckoning nears for Guiao

MANILA, Philippines – National coach Yeng Guiao said he is hard-pressed in naming the final 12 of the 14 training team members to the national team that will compete in Tianjin, China next month.

“That will be the most difficult decision probably coming in the next three weeks,” said Guiao, head coach of Powerade Team Pilipinas, during practice Tuesday night at The Arena in San Juan.

With seven days to go before the national team leaves for the William Jones Cup tournament in Taipei, Guiao is not losing sleep over how to deal with South Korea and Japan, the Philippines’ companions, along with Sri Lanka, in Group A of the FIBA Asia World Championship qualifier in Tianjin, China next month.

Neither is he bristling over a statement made by an Iranian player discounting the RP team as a contender for a top three spot to the 16th World Championship in Istanbul, Turkey next year.

“That’s a good thing, the Iranians being complacent and counting us out,” he said. “That will give us the incentive to prove them wrong.”

Guiao, instead, is fretting over how to go about choosing the final 12 players for Tianjin – from a roster of 14 – a judgment he has to hand down in the midst of the Taipei tournament.

“All of these guys have invested so much in the team, and all of them had been performing well without any exception since the SEABA,” he said.

Injuries and illness, Guiao said, will play a big part in determining who eventually he will take aside for a quiet talk.

“We will still rely on our first criteria – the least healthy guys are going to be the prime candidates for the cutoff,” he said.

With forward Kelly Williams still recovering from a blood disorder, the arrival of 6-foot-9 Japeth Aguilar from the States two weeks ago has brought back to 14 the number of candidates.

And though Guiao has refused to guarantee the inclusion of any player to the official lineup, it is largely believed the shot-blocking son of former Northern Consolidated center Peter Aguilar is a shoo-in.

A couple others may also have a foot in the door.

“I would hate to cut somebody like Ryan Reyes,” Guiao said. “But if he’s not healthy then, we have to make that decision. I’m very hopeful, however, that he can be healthy at least for Tianjin.”