MANILA, Philippines – The Gilas Pilipinas training camp in Palanga, Lithuania continues to bond the team together.
Beau Belga, the latest addition to the national pool, arrived just in time for their first of six tune-up games against Lithuanian teams. (read also: Belga brings extra cup of guile and guts to Gilas)
Before the game, the whole Gilas team did a mock draw as their earlier scenarios went for naught when FIBA-Asia suddenly decided to change the process to a “pure†draw rather than their recent past practice of “modified†draw.
The “pure†draw allowed the 15 teams to join the selection process with the host team exempted and made to choose its group after the 13th pick or after 12 teams have been selected in the four brackets.
In contrast, the “modified†draw, which the Gilas coaching staff has prepared for should have seeded the top four teams in the last FIBA Asia to head the four groups. Gilas Pilipinas ended up fourth in the last edition supposedly making them one of the heads of the four groups.
But as it turned out, the "pure" draw worked to Gilas’ advantage having avoided the other top seeds Iran, China and South Korea, who were bunched together in what was dubbed as the “Group of Deathâ€.
The whole team closely monitored the FIBA-Asia Championship draw from their camp in Lithuania and national head coach Chot Reyes lengthily talked with one of the team’s assistant coaches Norman Black, who represented the team in the draw held at the Manila Hotel last Thursday.
Gilas opted for Group A where the country is bunched with Chinese Taipei, Jordan and Saudi Arabia for the obvious reasons.
They celebrated the favorable draw with a win over the fourth-ranked team in the Lithuanian League later in the night.
Gilas bucked a slow start to escape with an 81-76 victory over an import-less Klaipedos Neptunas in Svyturio Arena. The Lithuanians played without their American imports David McClure and Rashaun Broadus.
Reyes and his staff did not go into the details of the game to avoid being scouted. But the second-time national team head coach hinted that things are going well for the injury-hit Gilas.
After their first game, Reyes posted on his twitter account (@coachot): “Suffice it to say for now things are going well. Learning curve is steep. We enjoy the struggle, but the bond is deep.â€
That bond extends to the little things they do off the court where Reyes shared the moment when “The Kraken†Junemar Fajardo cracked a joke (see storify below).
Former Lithuanian national team coach Kestutis Kemzura, who led the Baltic Giants to a bronze medal finish in the FIBA World Championships in 2010, is helping Reyes run the camp. They fondly call him Coach K. (don’t mistake him with Team USA’s coach K – Mike Krzyzewski).
(read also: Gilas Diaries: 2-week Lithuania camp begins)