With less than 50 days before the 2017 SEABA Championship, Gilas Pilipinas is set to rev up its preparations
During the first two Monday practices of Gilas Pilipinas, the attendance of this batch of National Team aspirants has been high. But Mondays won’t be enough for the stiff challenge the country’s neighbors will bring come the 2017 SEABA Championship, the region’s main qualifier for the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup.
That is why the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas and the Philippine Basketball Association have agreed that starting on Monday, April 10, the National Team will hold daily practices in preparation for the event from May 12 to 18.
“We expect starting April 10, it’s going to be daily practices already,” coach Chot Reyes disclosed Monday evening.
Exceptions will be given to players who have commitments with their club teams.
“But those who have games in the PBA are going to be excused the day before and the game day itself,” he furthered.
“That’s why it’s important to still have the pool because you can imagine if we only have a 15-man lineup, then there are two games, four teams, and two players per team, that’s already eight, so if we only have a 15-man lineup, that will leave us with six, seven, eight, or nine, and we can’t practice that way.
“I thought it was better just to keep the entire pool intact, continuing to practice so that even when there are players that need to rest, we can still have a full practice,” the 53-year-old mentor added.
And Reyes, who steered the Philippines to the 2014 FIBA World Cup, shared that the intensity of the practices will go up a notch higher during that time as it will determine the 15-man team that will compete in the tournament.
“When we ramp up the training starting April 10, we will expect a lot more, and then after the All-Star break, when we cut it down to the final roster, starting May 1, we’ll expect a lot more,” Reyes said.
