Egypt’s head coach Roy Rana believes that Gilas Pilipinas could have benefited from having a sharpshooting three-point shooter like Matthew Wright, who was his Asian import in the B.League in Kyoto.
Immediately after the Philippines suffered a defeat against South Sudan at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, which also closed the door on their chances of becoming the best Asian team for an automatic spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Rana and his Pharaohs achieved victory against Jordan at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Following their 85-69 win over Jordan, which kept their hopes alive for being the best African team, Rana expressed that Wright could have made a significant impact for Gilas.
“I certainly think he makes a difference just because of his ability to shoot the ball,” said Rana, who has been watching Wright since his high school days in Canada.
“He has some weaknesses like every player but he’s a pretty special player, you can run stuff for him, draw plays for him. Catch and shoot, shoot off the dribble,” continued the Canadian coach.
“Those guys are hard to find so certainly I think he would have helped.”
During the 2022-23 B.League season, Wright averaged 13.4 points, making 2.3 shots from deep at a 38.1 percent shooting rate. He also recorded 4.7 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals for the Hannaryz.
In the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, Gilas has managed to make 30 three-pointers out of 101 attempts, resulting in a 30 percent success rate.
Rana continues to be amazed by Wright’s skill, even more than a decade after their initial meeting, and he’s grateful that Wright is playing in Kyoto.
(C) B.League
“I’ve been following him since he was around 15 years old, and he’s an incredible shooter – a great young man, or rather, a veteran now,” shared Rana, who has guided Egypt to a 2-2 record, currently ranked 55th.
“He’s an immensely talented player, so we’re simply delighted to have him in Kyoto.”
Rana also emphasized how the three-point shot has evolved to become one of the most crucial aspects of the game.
“In reality, it’s almost everything. It’s about how you can space the floor, and if you have enough skilled shooters on the court to make shots. The three-point shot has become the ultimate differentiator in many ways.”
