I only got to play with him in practices because I left (school) a little bit early. But we still got contact on social media.

JAKARTA — A familiar foe powered by a familiar reinforcement blocks the Philippines’ road to glory in the 18th Asian Games.

Former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) import Ricardo Ratliffe will be at the helm when Korea battles Gilas Pilipinas in the quarterfinals of the men’s basketball competition next week at the GBK Basketball Hall here.

Ratliffe, who suited up for Star Hotshots after replacing Denzel Bowles in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup in 2016, will clash with former teammates James Yap and Paul Lee in a bid to lead the reigning champion Korea into the medal round.

Ratliffe will also rub elbows with Jordan Clarkson, the National Basketball Association (NBA) standout who flew in to power the Rain or Shine-backed Philippine side in its golden quest.

Both of them attended the University of Missouri, although Clarkson donned the Tigers’ jersey in 2012 before Ratliffe declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft.

“I never got to play with him in an official game,” he told Daily Tribune’s Asiad coverage supported by Primehomes after punctuating the preliminaries with a lopsided victory over Thailand.

“I only got to play with him in practices because I left (school) a little bit early. But we still got contact on social media.”

Ratliffe was at the sidelines when the Philippines nearly escaped China, 80-82.

He said he was mesmerized with the way the Filipinos played, especially with Clarkson and Stanley Pringle leading the way.

The Cleveland Cavaliers star delivered 16 out of his 28 points in the third period while Pringle mocked the defense all night by running circles around the Chinese giants led by 7-foot-2 Zhou Qi of the Houston Rockets.

“We have to slow down Jordan,” said Ratliffe, who was given the Korean name Ra Gun-ah following his naturalization last year.

“And Stanley, we have to keep him off the paint. He’s super fast. He’s very underrated in Asia. I think that’s our main thing. Slowing down the guards. This is a guard-oriented team with Stanley and Jordan. They also got good shooters, too. James Yap could get hot.