NBA Rumors - Andray Blatche (Photo : FIBA)
After grueling training in Greece to build characters and chemistry before the FIBA Olympic qualifier grind, the Philippines men's basketball team will now go through four-match build up, starting off with a tune-up game with Turkey on Tuesday 1:00 p.m US ET / 1:00 a.m (Philippine Time).
Roughly a couple of weeks before the big tourney in Manila, the 14-men Philippine team will strut their wares against European powerhouse Turkey to kick off their buildup for the qualifiers.
Andray Blatche, who arrived at training camp way slimmer than he was last year, is all ready to lead the charge for the RP Team and help them a decade long wait of playing in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero in Brazil.
Expected to back him up in their quest are Gilas mainstays Jason William (Castro), Asia's best playmaker for the last four years, Ranidel de Ocampo, and the dynamo guard Terrence Romeo.
While FIBA's denial of Jordan Clarkson application to play with the Philippine team in the Olympics proves to be a big blow, they still attained some sort of versatility in their lineup with the inclusion of Bobby Ray Parks, who spent a season in the NBA D-League.
However, the first task that awaits this Philippine team is already formidable as Turkey fields a team consists of youngsters and seasoned players led by NBA vets Omer Asik and Ersan Ilyasova.
Turkey is also slated to play in Manila qualifier starting June 5. This team is grouped with tourney favorites Canada and Senegal in pool B, while the Philippines is bracketed with France and New Zealand. These two teams could face each other in the crossover semifinals should they survive the group stages.
Tip-off of Philippines vs. Turkey tune-up game is slated at 1:00 a.m PH Time. The game can be watched online via Sports Stream. You can also check Sports5.ph Youtube for highlights of the game,
