The Gilas Pilipinas will be battling the Kazakhstan national squad in the quarterfinals of the FIBA Asia Championship on Friday for a knockout match on the way to the semi-finals of the tournament.
A win against Kazakhstan will put the Philippines one win away of securing a slot in the upcoming FIBA World Cup to be held in Spain in the year 2014. The Philippines will have a chance also to regain their lost basketball glory if they can go all the way to the finals of the competition after more than 2 decades of failing to win the Asian title.
Here’s our scouting report for Kazakhstan:
The Gilas is expected to shoulder a huge chunk of the defense in the low block with the leadership of Marc Pingris. Gilas point guards Tenorio, Alapag and Jayson Castro must contain the Kazakhstan’s dynamo and most prolific naturalized point guard Jerri Johnson. Everything from Kazakhstan started from the point guard, their main engine, he can score and sets his team up.
On Pingris part he wanted to contain Mikhail Yevstigneyev and Anton Ponomarev, two of Kazakhs big men. The Gilas is currently prepared for their toughest battle, the team have been waiting for this kind of opportunity, they have to proved that once and for all the Gilas Pilipinas is the team to beat in FIBA Asia.
Kazakhstan’s Key Players:
Anton Ponomarev – One of the most popular player for the Kazakhstan’s Snow Leopards, he is ranked as one of the top five big men in FIBA Asia. During the preliminary round of the competition, he was able to play consistently. During the Gilas tune-up games, Ponomarev scored with 14 points and hit a total of 4 three-pointers.
Jerry Johnson – One of FIBA Asia’s top-flight playmaker, with his presence, the Kazakhs made it to the Top 8 teams in the competition. He is best known as “Triple J” (his full name is Jerry Jamar Johnson), he powered Kazakhstan all the way to the quarterfinals of FIBA Asia.
Rustam Yargaliev – One of the ace player for the Kazakhstan’s squad, he played as a wingman who stands at 6’5″, he played for BC Astana in the Kazakh and VTB Leagues. Known for his sniper shots and a superb defender who has great size for his position. He is one of the aces by coach Matteo Boniciolli.
Photo Credit: Gilas Pilipinas/Paul Ryan Tan