Jordan Clarkson’s Gilas Pilipinas Men debut in FIBA competition did not go as planned.
Though the Utah guard dropped 27 points, seven assists, and six rebounds, it was not enough to lift the Philippines past the hottest team in Asia Lebanon, falling 85-81.
Still, the 30-year-old Filipino-American guard is sticking to the bright spots in their loss to the Cedars.
“I think we did a good job in competing. Coach [Chot Reyes] prepared us well in terms of scouting this team out. We had a great gameplan coming in,” said Clarkson, who only joined Gilas last Saturday.
“But with all the turnovers, we’re gonna miss shots and stuff like that. But it’s hard to win with 20-plus turnovers in a game like this, especially with the home crowd behind them. But for us, it’s bright,” he claimed with optimism.
“We are just getting this team together. We got some good young stars in the team.”
Supporting Clarkson in their late-game rally were the country’s top young guns in Dwight Ramos and Kai Sotto.
Ramos, who will play for Levanga, was the one who kept Gilas close with Lebanon in the second half, ending up with 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting with 10 rebounds and six steals.
Sotto, who is entering his second year with Adelaide, got 10 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks.
However, Clarkson shouldered the blame for the loss after going just 2-of-10 from the field in the last 20 minutes of the contest. And this included a tough miss with 1:19 left that would have given Gilas a two-point lead.
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“Dwight played well tonight as well, Kai played well. I think it’s a good effort. We had a chance to win the game,” he said.
“I missed some shots towards the end of the game which I usually make. It was a tough one tonight.”
But this is just the beginning for this batch of Gilas.
On Monday, they will face Saudi Arabia at home.
And Clarkson vows payback.
“We just have to take it on the head and get back to the drawing board. We’re going head back to Manila, play Saudi Arabia, be prepared for that, and try to win at home.”
