Marcio Lassiter says Filipinos are “going to discover a means” to win the SEA Video games gold in Cambodia. —FIBA.BASKETBALL PHOTO
“I think about the group we now have.”
Thus declared Marcio Lassiter, a pioneering member of the Gilas Pilipinas and a shoo-in for the solid that’s presently being put collectively to reclaim the basketball gold within the Southeast Asian (SEA) Video games in Cambodia subsequent week.
Lassiter, additionally a member of that famed Tim Cone crew that gained the gold again within the 2019 version hosted by the nation, mentioned that the Gilas teaching workers has been doing a very good job closing the gaps brought on by manpower scarcity, an issue that has lengthy hounded the nationwide program.
“2019 was a special lineup. You understand, I don’t even recall what number of practices we’ve had. This yr, I believe due to the lengthy [pro] season, we’ve solely had 10 guys. Typically, 9, like a couple of days in the past. That form of delayed our development as a group, however we’re right here attempting to do the most effective we are able to to be taught a system,” he instructed the Inquirer.
“[We] have to select up faster. Our PBA (Philippine Basketball Affiliation) system is totally different [compared] to right here,” he added. However coach Chot [Reyes], Josh [Reyes] and Tim are doing an amazing job to get us all on the identical web page.”
From 28 names turned in to fulfill the necessities of this SEA Video games’ organizing committee, 15 trooped to Encourage Sports activities Academy in Calamba, Laguna province, final Sunday to gap up and develop familiarity and cohesion.
All about basketball
There, Lassiter joined San Miguel Beer teammates Chris Ross and CJ Perez, and a former one in Christian Standhardinger. Different PBA standouts within the lot are Calvin Oftana of TNT, Chris Newsome and Aaron Black of Meralco, Arvin Tolentino of NorthPort, Jeremiah Grey of Barangay Ginebra and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser of NLEX.
Amateurs have been known as up for the bid in Phnom Penh as effectively. Ateneo-commit Mason Amos, Adamson ace Jerom Lastimosa and La Salle’s towering brothers Ben and Michael Phillips comprise the youth brigade anticipated to bolster Justin Brownlee, the tireless, do-it-all ahead who was granted Filipino citizenship final January.
“I received to determine issues out with all these guys. That’s the problem. We received every week. We’ll do two-a-days so I hope that would expedite the method, , pace [things] up,” Lassiter mentioned.
Greater than the camp—the place the whole lot is simply going to be about basketball—Lassiter is drawing optimism from two issues: Brownlee and this bunch’s eagerness to proper the unsuitable of that fateful Might day in Hanoi, Vietnam, the place the Philippines noticed its 33-year reign within the regional meet crumble.
“If you happen to received guys who need to get on the market and win, we’re gonna discover a means,” he mentioned. “[And] Justin’s right here. He ought to assist us loads in areas like, simply calming us down, weathering a storm, or hitting that well timed bucket. He’ll be an amazing assist to us.”
Starvation
Cone believes it’s that starvation that may serve Gilas probably the most when it plunges into motion at Morodok Techo Nationwide Stadium within the Cambodian capital starting Might 9.
“These guys are dying to do that, dying to be part of this. It doesn’t come on a regular basis, particularly for the Fil-Ams, as a result of [they] aren’t allowed to symbolize their nation.
And simply because they’re Fil-Ams, it doesn’t imply this isn’t their nation. That is their nation, too. However [these SEA Games] permit you to do this. So that is the one alternative they may do it,” he mentioned.
“I believe we’re gonna have a hungry group as we now have guys that actually wanna are available and play and that’ll be our edge,” Cone added.
“It’s a special problem, I’d say,” Lassiter mentioned of the reclamation mission that begins with Malaysia at 2 p.m. on Might 9, adopted by host Cambodia at 6 p.m. on the eleventh after which Singapore, 2 p.m. on the thirteenth.
“We simply gotta embrace it and do the most effective we are able to. We simply received to be sharp,” Lassiter added. “We’ll discover methods to maintain plugging away.”
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