Gilas PH ramps up Asian Games preps

As they waited for their plane to take off for South Korea on Wednesday, Robert Bolick posted a photo alongside Adrian Nocum and wrote one word that has become the latter’s signature line as a caption.

“‘Banat’ (strike),” Bolick said as the “other” Gilas Pilipinas team headed to the city of Suwon to play a pair of tuneup games before next week’s Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Gilas, composed of 11 players plus coaches and staff, left Manila to take part in the exhibition matches against the South Korea national team on Thursday and Saturday.

It will be another chance for the all-PBA squad to get more familiar with each other in preparation for the country’s defense of the Asian Games gold.

Coach Tim Cone and his staff have opted for a different lineup than his usual roster that recently swept a homestand during the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers by defeating Jordan and Iran in the fourth window.

Cone welcomed the idea of having a different composition for the Asiad, knowing that the Gilas team that played in the Qualifiers may have already exhausted whatever energy it had during the two important matches.

“I remember [Chot Reyes’ team] when he went to the World Cup [in 2014],” Cone said, recalling that Gilas team that bombed out in the Incheon edition of the continental showcase after giving formidable teams a run for their money in the World Cup in Seville, Spain.

“They played fabulous in the World Cup, and then they had to fly all the way to Korea and play the Asian Games. And they didn’t have the energy to play because of that grueling World Cup that they had.”

“So the idea of bringing in fresher guys, motivated guys, guys who are motivated to come out and play for their country is a good idea,” Cone added.

Motivated to take his act on the international stage is Nocum, who didn’t hide his enthusiasm about the opportunity. On the eve of their flight, the Rain or Shine hotshot took to social media and showed the Gilas uniforms he’ll wear for the duration of the Asiad.

On the day of the flight, his wife shared conversations from their days as a young couple about how Nocum has listed playing for the national team as one of his goals.

“Second LDR, but this time, it feels different because the dream you once spoke about is no longer a ‘malay mo’ (who knows?). It’s happening right in front of us, daddy!” Shekinah Nocum said on her social media page.

Bolick, who plays for NLEX, will likely share the backcourt with Nocum as he returns to national team duties, nine months after leading a combined pro-amateur squad to the gold at the Southeast Asian Games against host Thailand in Bangkok.

Other players on the Asiad roster are San Miguel Beer’s Don Trollano and Jerrick Ahanmisi, TNT’s Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, Magnolia’s Zavier Lucero, Blackwater’s Sedrick Barefield and Meralco’s Brandon Bates.

Recently added were three players from the Fiba window pool, Barangay Ginebra’s RJ Abarrientos and the Converge twin tower combo of Justin Arana and Justine Baltazar.