The pundit-favored Gilas Pilipinas squad plans to give the debuting Myanmar national basketball team a rude welcome to Southeast Asian basketball when the two teams face off on Friday, May 21, at 7:00pm.
The Philippines is gunning for its eighth SEABA championship. On the other hand, Myanmar — ranked the 92nd team in the world — has never competed in the SEABA Championship.
The last team they fielded was back in the 2015 Southeast Asian games. The team had been composed of nine players, with 6-foot-5 Aye Kaung Myat serving as the team’s anchor and the now-38-year-old Tun Zar Ni being the team’s skipper.
This time, they will have a complete 12-man roster, and Aye is still the team’s tallest player.
Gilas, a team ranked 27th in the world, is expected to breeze past the Burmese, but this game will serve as the team’s warm-up for the SEABA marathon.
And they cannot take any team lightly in this single round tournament, as only one ticket to the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup at stake.
“LIke I said for SEABA — given the importance of winning the championship, we have to field the best, the strongest team possible,” said returning Chooks Gilas head coach Chot Reyes about the stacked SEABA team that will feature June Mar Fajardo, Jayson Castro, Japeth Aguilar, Troy Rosario, Calvin Abueva, Terrence Romeo, and Andray Blatche. “That was the guiding principle behind putting this team together — to makes sure we have the best chance to win the championship.
“We cannot take things lightly,” he declared.
Regional rivals Singapore (tied for 82nd in the world) and Indonesia (72nd) will serve as the curtain raisers for the tournament at 3:00pm.
Singapore, led by two-time ABL Local MVP “Singapore Assassin” Wong Wei Long, bagged the bronze in the 2015 SEABA Championship, while Indonesia had placed fourth. Indonesia will be bannered by naturalized player Jamarr Johnson, the 2016 IBL MVP and Rookie of the Year, for the first time.
The game will be followed by the tilt between the improving Thailand (81st) taking on the young Malaysia (67th).
For the majority of the Malaysians, this will be the second time they compete in the Philippines this year, as Alvin Ang, Vincent Choong, Mak Lok Seng, Heng Yee Tong, Ong Wei Yong, Chin Zhi Shin, Liaw Chee Huei, and Anthony Liew played for the Blustar Detergent Dragons in the 2017 PBA D-League Aspirants Cup.
Thailand, on the other hand, is coming off a silver campaign in the 2016 SEABA Cup. Thailand’s core of Nakorn Jaisanuk, Chanachon Klahan, Sukhdave Ghogar, Patiphan Klahan, Teerawat Chanthachon, Chitchai Ananti, and Kannut Samerjai are returning for this campaign.
The game takes place at 5:00pm.
