Guiao scampers to form squad

There’s always pressure when you play or coach for national team but it’s also a sacrifice.

With only a couple of weeks left, head coach Yeng Guiao is racing against time to prepare the Rain or Shine-powered squad for the 18th Asian Games.

Guiao said the job would be very challenging, but he’s embracing it after being given the marching order of surpassing the seventh-place finish registered by Gilas Pilipinas in the Incheon edition of the prestigious quadrennial tournament in 2014.

The Nationals have only eight days to train.

Although the core of his former players like Elasto Painters Chris Tiu, Gabe Norwood, Maverick Ahanmisi, Beau Belga, Raymond Almazan and James Yap are there, it still needs to take some time before they could jell with newcomers like Stanley Pringle of Globalport, Christian Standhardinger of San Miguel, Paul Lee of Magnolia, JP Erram of Blackwater, Don Trollano of Talk ‘N Text and Asi Taulava of NLEX.

Two Gilas Pilipinas cadets are also in the 14-man pool in Ricci Rivero and Kobe Paras.

“There’s always pressure when you play or coach for national team but it’s also a sacrifice. It’s also a service to the country,” said Guiao, who handled the national duties in the Fiba Asia Men’s Championship in Tianjin, China in 2007.

“We do not mind that as long as we see our countrymen happy. We will not pose excuses and we will represent our country to the best of our ability.”

Guiao said they would waste no time and buckle down to work today to kick off the grueling eight-day training before leaving for Jakarta.

He said he is banking on veterans Yap and Taulava to serve as “glue guys” and expedite the chemistry and familiarity of the squad.

“Time is really short. Even before the pullout, time was already short and it even got shorter now. That’s the reason we will be fielding the Rain or Shine core,” said Guiao.

“Despite the shorter time, we feel that we can make the players gel with Rain or Shine. We find no problem with that, “ added the former Elasto Painters mentor and now NLEX tactician Guiao.

The Nationals are grouped with Iran, United Arab Emirates and Syria in Pool B.