Gilas eyes strong rebound vs KSA 5

MANILA, Philippines — Basketball-crazy Manila is expected to rock as Gilas Pilipinas, a powered-up bunch led by Fil-Am NBA star Jordan Clarkson, guns for that soothing victory against Saudi Arabia tonight before a throng of supporters at the MOA Arena.

Celebrated Utah Jazz guard Clarkson is strutting his stuff in a Gilas uniform for the first time on home ground, making the 7 p.m. FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers fourth window gig a must-see for hoops-loving Filipinos.

Clarkson and teammates led by Kai Sotto, Dwight Ramos, Japeth Aguilar and Scottie Thompson are doubly motivated to take care of business in this Group E hosting assignment and give the Gilas program a shot in the arm after a string of setbacks internationally.

“Mindset is to win,” said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio. “And JC (Clarkson) is excited to play for the first time in front of our Filipino fans.”

Clarkson, who is classified by FIBA as a naturalized player despite his Filipino heritage, started his Gilas journey last Friday in hostile territory. The NBA Sixth Man of the Year awardee punched in a statline of 27 points, six rebounds and seven assists in an 85-81 defeat to Lebanon.

Now the main goal for the Philippine quintet  (seven points on a 2-3 record overall) is to take the sting off that with a mighty bounce back against the unheralded but still dangerous Saudis (six points on a 1-4 card).

“We’re going to be prepared for this and try to get a win at home,” said Clarkson, who actually gave a glimpse of what he could offer for Gilas back in 2018 when he first donned the Philippine tri-colors in the Asian Games, a competition with more relaxed eligibility rules than FIBA meets.