Gilas’ battle for survival begins

All roads lead to the Mall of Asia Arena as the Philippines tries to keep its hopes for a fourth straight appearance on the world stage alive despite missing the services of its top gunner.

Gilas’ response to the tough task of ending a four-game skid without injured naturalized player Justin Brownlee will be known in the scheduled 8:30 p.m. clash.

Meanwhile, another Middle Eastern powerhouse Iran faces surging New Zealand in the curtain-raiser of the triple-header Group E playdate set at 2 p.m.

Crossing paths at 5 p.m. are unbeaten Australia and Syria, serving as a delectable appetizer for the main game.

But focus remains on the home team, which has its back against the wall after disastrous outings in the second and third windows of the qualifying tournament for the main draw in Doha, Qatar from 27 August to 12 September next year.

Parading a dismal 2-4 win-loss carryover record, tied with Syria, Gilas is just a loss or two away from missing the World Cup for the first time since its return in 2014.

Australia (6-0), Jordan (5-1), Iran (5-1) and New Zealand (4-2) currently occupy the top four in the standings. Only four teams after the double-round robin play will earn seats to the World Cup.

A slew of injuries saddled Brownlee, who averaged 14.2 points in the five games he played in the Asian Qualifiers, leaving Gilas with an “all-Filipino” lineup.

Luckily, Gilas head coach Tim Cone received reinforcement with the return of 7-foot-3 Kai Sotto following a two-year absence.

His presence solidified Gilas’ frontline alongside AJ Edu and veteran June Mar Fajardo, whose mission is to deliver wins in his last two games with the national squad.

Overseas-based wingers Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo and Kevin Quiambao are back to help plug the hole left by Brownlee.

Chris Newsome, Troy Rosario, Juan Gomez de Liaño and Justine Baltazar are back for another tour of duty with returning CJ Perez and Scottie Thompson.

Perez returns after being left out in the third window while Thompson gets another call-up after skipping the final leg of the first round due to a hamstring injury.

Guard RJ Abarrientos and newcomer big man Justin Arana were cut from the final 12-man lineup.

But Gilas has its work cut out for it.

“We’re familiar with the Jordan team. Probably more familiar with Jordan than we are with Iran,” Cone said.

The decorated mentor welcomes the advantage of having a team familiar with his system compared to the Jordanians, who are still adjusting with new Spanish coach Luis Guil Torres.

Still, he’s wary of Jordan’s top players, particularly the Asian Qualifiers’ leading scorer Jalen Harris, towering center Ahmad Al Dwairi and playmaker Freddy Ibrahim.

“They have two really key players, Jalen Harris and Al Dwairi. Played the first couple of games. But again, we’ve known him from even the last World Cup. We’ve known Al Dwairi, and we know Ibrahim.”

“But the guy that we’re going to have to be really concerned about is Jalen Harris. A former NBA guy, 6-4 shooting guard. So far in the World Cup qualifiers, he’s averaging 27 points a game,” Cone added.

The Philippines holds a 5-4 advantage in its head-to-head with Jordan in the World Cup qualifier.

Jordan, however, won in their last meeting — a close-shaved 91-90 escape in the second round held at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan on 27 February 2023 after weathering Brownlee’s 41-point outburst.

The Jordanians are coming off a 106-67 drubbing of Iraq to close the first round on 6 July.

However, Jordan struggled in form in the 45th William Jones Cup just a week ago under Torres, who replaced Wesam Al-Sous after the third window.

Jordan finished sixth with just two wins compared to five losses, including a shocking 74-80 upset at the hands of Malaysia. Strong Group Athletics-Pilipinas beat the Jordanians, 96-91, in the battle for fifth.

After taking on Jordan, Gilas will then meet Iran on Sunday. The Jordanians close the fourth window against Australia also Sunday at the same Pasay City venue.