Phl hopes to sustain solid form vs Japan

GUANGZHOU – Smart Gilas Team Pilipinas takes on old rival Japan today, hoping to ride the crest of its rout of Qatar Wednesday to boost its drive for a slot in the Final Eight of the 16th Asian Games basketball competition.

The Filipinos are determined to come out strong in the 9:30 p.m. game at the Huangpu Gymnasium against the Japanese team that humbled back-to-back FIBA Asia champion Iran, 57-56, also Wednesday.

Japan leads Group F with a clean 2-0 win-loss slate, winning its first match over Chinese-Taipei Tuesday.

“Japan really looks good but if we play as we did against Qatar, there would be no problem,” said Smart Gilas Phl team manager Frankie Lim.

In a big turnaround from a pathetic performance against Iran Tuesday, the Nationals came out bristling and dominated the Qataris, 90-68, Wednesday.

The team held a practice at the Guangti Gymnasium yesterday afternoon, exerting effort to keep their sharpness and toughness for the Japan game.

The Philippines is tied with Iran, Qatar and Chinese-Taipei with identical 1-1 slates behind Japan in Group F.

“We hope to sustain our good shooting. If we can do that, we’ll get our game going and we can well compete against the Japanese,” said Smart Gilas Phl operations chief Butch Antonio.

Japan is a formidable team handled by American coach Thomas Robert Wisman and bannered by former Phoenix Sun Yuta Tabuse and tall twin brothers Joji and Kosuke Takeuchi.

Out of their lineup is 7-foot-2 behemoth Fumihiko Aono, but the Japanese boast of four players standing at least 6-foot-7.

Japan is a cohesive running team with great shooting in a halfcourt game as it has shown in its early games here and in its showing in the recent Jones Cup in Taipei.

Though playing minus the prolific Takeuchi brothers, Japan whipped the Marcus Douthit-led Smart Gilas Phl team, 84-74, in their Jones Cup collision.

Even Iran coach Veselin Metic pointed to Japan as the toughest team in their group.

Wisman said Japan is serious in its bid to regain its old place in the Asian basketball landscape.

Japan has never broken into the Asiad Top Four since placing third in the 1994 Hiroshima Games.

In the FIBA Asia championship (formerly ABC championship), the Japanese have had two titles but have never won a medal since placing second behind the Koreans in the 1997 meet in Riyadh.

Wisman was signed by the Japanese federation last February particularly to craft a program that could revive their glory days.

The Illinois native, 60, used to call the shots for the British and Malaysian national teams.

NOTES: Japeth Aguilar finally got a flight to Manila yesterday. He was to go directly to sports orthopedic surgeon Raul Canlas for consultation....China whipped North Korea, 98-62; Mongolia edged Uzbekistan, 67-65; North Korea walloped Jordan, 95-49; and Chinese Taipei crushed India, 93-66, in other games Wednesday. The Chinese and the Koreans pace their group with similar 2-0 slates.