For the first time in four games, Andray Blatche was not fielded by Gilas Pilipinas in the 2017 SEABA Championship when they took on the lowly Vietnam.
And it was not because the team was overconfident nor a quarrel between the team and Blatche.
Head coach Chot Reyes opted to rest Blatche, who is averaging 12.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game, in preparation for their showdown against fellow unbeaten team Indonesia. And they needed to do so knowing that naturalized Indonesian Jamarr Johnson and Indonesian-American Arki Wisnu are fresh and ready to go.
“They’re getting ready as well and they’re raring to go as well,” the 53-year-old mentor remarked about Indonesia.
“They have a couple of guys who are very, very fresh, that’s why we made it a point to rest Andray and get him fresh as well,” Reyes furthered about Indonesia’s two stalwarts who have only played one game in the tournament.
Reyes though was quick to note that they also needed to rest the 30-year-old stretch forward due to a mild hamstring strain.
“I think he tweaked his hamstring a little bit yesterday [against Thailand], but I think it’s just a mild strain,” the five-time coach of the year furthered.
“So hopefully, he’ll be a hundred percent.”
For the 6-foot-11 big man, he could not hide his excitement about the game against Indonesia, knowing the stakes involved. And he vowed that he is ready for the game that will have the sole ticket to the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup at stake.
“It’ll be a big game,” the native of Syracuse, New York said after Gilas’ 107-92 win over Vietnam.
“I’ll be fine, I’ll be okay.”
