By Jonas Terrado
Coach Yeng Guiao has set modest goals for the hastily-formed national team that will compete in this month’s Indonesia Asian Games despite dealing with unpopular decision of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas to initially withdraw from the quadrennial meet.
Guiao, whose team will be led mostly by his former players when he was at Rain or Shine, said improving the seventh place finish from the 2014 edition in Incheon will be considered a success, though he’s also aiming to reach for the stars if the opportunity presents itself during the competition.
“Our marching order is try to get better than seventh place,” Guiao said Sunday’s press conference where the SBP and the PBA announced the cage team’s re-entry to the meet setAug. 18 to Sept. 2.
“If we’re capable of getting a higher placing, of course you go for it. There’s a certain factor of luck getting into the equation, depending on the groupings and the opponents that you’ll face.
“I’m not really sure what that group is yet, but I hope that it won’t be a tough so we have a deep run in the next stages. But we will pose no excuse, we will just play hard for the country. We will try to give our best and make our countrymen proud of us,” he added.
Six players from other PBA ballclubs were added to the pool composed of Rain or Shine players and two from the Gilas Cadets as Guiao got his wish to have San Miguel’s Beer Christian Standhardinger, Magnolia’s Paul Lee, GlobalPort’s Stanley Pringle, NLEX’s Asi Taulava, Blackwater’s Poy Erram and TNT KaTropa’s Don Trollano.
