Is 11-man Gilas strong enough?

Winning the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) is difficult. That is an understatement. It was relatively easier to be the one Asian team since you are being measured against fellow Asians.

If we were basing on the odds and the quality of competition it will be an uphill battle. The OQT will only highlight the wide chasm between the Europeans and the rest of the world when it comes to basketball. The top players in the world are European. We used to say "the top players in the world outside the NBA" are European. That is long gone, and even the Big League is dominated by phenomenal European talents.

European teams are another monster. They are often more than the sum of their parts. This is why it is not enough to count how many NBA players are in every team. Firstly, there are talented players who can make the NBA but choose not to, for one reason or another. Also, Europeans approach basketball as a team sport, more than a collection of individuals. Even in their own local tournaments, there is less emphasis on personalities and individual match-ups compared to the NBA.

So, do we have an actual chance against Latvia and Georgia, two European teams who made the top 16 in the World Cup, but failed to make the Olympics because of the limited slots (only two for European teams, and that went to the Gold and Silver medalists, Germany and Serbia)?

With these daunting odds, will our 11-strong be strong enough?

We should think so, as Filipinos have done in the past. We've been underdogs for so long, so this would not be any different. In the end, we have five players and they have five. We have an equal chance, even though the Latvians are on home soil.

Eleven vs Twelve

Once again, the reality bites and we would not be able to send our very best in a highly competitive tournament. Injuries and other circumstances shot down all the names that we want to enumerate.

AJ Edu and Scottie Thompson are key players for Gilas. Edu has established himself as a world-class defender of big men, and there are no replacements for that at this time. Scottie is also an all-around guard who can impact the game without handling the ball. While there are other guards who can do that, Thompson has clearly established himself as the top tier of his brand of play.

With two top players out, it has become a dilemma for Gilas head coach Tim Cone. A dilemma he wisely chose not to face. Since this is Gilas, they do not have enough time to prepare. They need to wait for professional tournaments to finish before they can assemble as a team.

Coach Tim Cone is way too familiar with this so he decided to make addition by subtraction. Of course, we would object, since forming a national basketball team has become a national pastime. But competing against the precision and chemistry of the Europeans means we cannot have any holes of our own.

I love how candid coach Cone was when he admitted that he does not use twelve players anyway, and that he sticks to an eight or nine-man rotation. The OQT is short..too short. There are no second chances, no adjustment periods. Our games are even scheduled less than 24 hours apart. This is not a marathon or a seven-game series.

Conclusion

This is the best team we can field at this time, on short notice. This is a competent basketball team. We have Justin Brownlee as our "bucket" – a scorer who can provide points at will. He will be targeted intensely, so our shooters need to be ready. Many of them have improved individually, like Chris Newsome exuding new, championship confidence.

Latvia is a well-constructed team playing at home. Gilas needs to play their hardest, and we need prayers for the team more than criticism. The first game will be tough, and will be a barometer against Georgia.

Play hard, Gilas. Pray hard, Gilas fans.