Work in progress

Gilas’ showing against Iran in a friendly at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Wednesday had its ups and downs. Overall, coach Tab Baldwin had to be happy with the way the national team broke out to a 23-point lead, 67-44, in the third period and held on to win with a 9-0 closing spurt after the margin was cut to two.

But he couldn’t be happy with how Gilas opened the door wide open for Iran to creep within two behind a 15-0 blast. Still, it was just a friendly. Baldwin could’ve juggled the five on the floor when Iran staged the last ditch rally. He didn’t, sticking with L. A. Tenorio, Terrence Romeo, Bobby Ray Parks, Andray Blatche and Gabe Norwood until the final buzzer. He could’ve brought back Jayson Castro or Ryan Reyes or Japeth Aguilar. But Baldwin probably wanted to test how Parks would respond to the challenge and if Tenorio and Romeo could play together under pressure.

Obviously, chemistry is an issue with Gilas. Throughout the game, Baldwin experimented with different combinations. His starters were Blatche, Reyes, Castro, Marc Pingris and Norwood. He also put Calvin Abueva, Romeo, Aguilar, Parks and June Mar Fajardo together on the floor. Ranidel de Ocampo was in a formation with Blatche, Romeo, Parks and Tenorio. Baldwin probably didn’t use Blatche and Fajardo in tandem because they wouldn’t have been able to keep in step with the up-and-down tempo.

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Gilas was at its best when the ball was moving. Reyes hit back-to-back threes early in the second half from assists by Castro and Blatche. Castro hit the first bucket for Gilas, a triple, then never scored again as Baldwin tested the other guards in the pool. Whenever the Gilas players went on isolation to go one-on-one, the success rate dropped. It’s no secret that for Gilas to succeed, the players must work as a unit not as individual superstars.

Parks was a revelation at the two-guard spot. He was aggressive on both ends, quick on his feet and not tentative in getting off his shot. Parks finished with 11 points and scored in every quarter like Blatche and Romeo. Aguilar solidified his spot on the team with an impressive performance. He scored 10 points in Gilas’ 18-3 burst to end the first period.

A tendency to relax is something Baldwin will work to break. Iran had bursts of 15-0, 11-0 and 6-0. In a close game, those runs would be decisive. Although on experimental mode, Gilas can’t make it a habit to give up so many points without a reply. At the coming FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, one spurt could make the difference between winning or losing.

What was heartening was how the fans cheered Gilas to victory. Chants of “de-fense, de-fense” reverberated when Gilas fell under the gun late in the fourth period. No doubt, the fans had a lot to do with inspiring Tenorio to hit the floater and put an end to Iran’s 15-0 burst, time down to 47 seconds. Then, Blatche converted a three-point play to stretch the margin to seven. The hometown fans will play a huge role in motivating Gilas, influencing calls and intimidating the opposition at the qualifier.

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Blatche was a dominant force inside and outside. He finished with 20 points, punctuated by two triples. Blatche terrorized Iran with a variety of shots. Once, he grabbed the loose ball, dribbled up court and popped in a jumper. On another occasion, he drove the lane for a dunk. Blatche could still be in better shape but he’s getting there. By the time he returns to Manila after the European training trip, Blatche will be in tip-top condition. If Blatche plays like he did in Seville and not the way he did in Changsha, Gilas should be able to make the semifinals here in July.

Blatche wasn’t just an offensive threat but also a defensive wall. He made life difficult for Iran’s bigs to score in the interior and his length was clearly a bother in closing out on shooters.

Iran coach Dirk Bauermann said it would be a treat for Asia to be represented by three Asian countries. Both Iran and the Philippines are hoping to book tickets out of their qualifiers. Only China has qualified from the continent after winning the FIBA Asia title in Changsha last year.

Iran showed up in Manila with six veterans from the Changsha wars. Gone are Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, Mehdi Kamrani, Hamed Afagh, Javad Davari and Saeid Davarpanah. Hamed Haddadi, 30, didn’t make the trip but is in the 23-man provisional pool submitted to FIBA. The returnees who played in Manila were Behnam Yakhchali, 20, Mohammad Hassanzadeh, 24, Sajjad Mashayekhi, 21, Oshin Sahakian, 29, Asghar Khardoust, 29 and Mohammad Jamshidi, 24. Only Yakhchali and Sahakian scored in double figures for Iran in the Gilas friendly.

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A player in Iran’s pool who was in Manila but didn’t play last Wednesday was 6-7 Arsalan Kazemi. He wasn’t in the Iran lineup in Changsha but is making a comeback with the national team. Kazemi, 26, played four years of US NCAA Division I basketball with Rice and Oregon. He was picked on the second round by the Washington Wizards in the 2013 NBA draft and had tryouts with Philadelphia, Boston and Houston. A veteran of the Chinese league, Kazemi is expected to be a fixture in the Iran roster for years as Bahrami’s successor.

Iran will play Mexico and Greece in the preliminaries of the Olympic qualifier in Turin, Italy. If Iran advances to the semifinals, it will play either of the two survivors from the other group which consists of Italy, Croatia and Tunisia. The Philippines, on the other hand, will play France and New Zealand in the preliminaries of the Olympic qualifier at the MOA Arena. If the Philippines qualifies for the semifinals, it will play either of the two survivors from the other group which consists of Canada, Turkey and Senegal.