GILAS Pilipinas is expected to have its hands full Sunday night when it meets the Nikola Vucevic-led Montenegro squad in a closed-door, tune-up game at the Philsports Arena.
The Nationals will go to the 8 p.m. match fresh from an 85-62 win over Ivory Coast two nights ago.
See Ivory Coast coach likes chances of Gilas Pilipinas against Angola
But coach Chot Reyes says it will be a much stiffer challenge against the Black Mountain, who arrived in the country last Thursday.
Ranked 18th in the world, Montenegro boasts of the 7-foot center Vucevic, who plays for the Chicago Bulls, former Minnessota Timberwolves draftee Bojan Dubljevic, naturalized Montenegrin Kendrick Perry and a young 7-footer in Marko Simonovic.
“That’s a very different team, mas malakas yan,” Reyes said about this thoughts on Montenegro shortly after the win over Ivory Coast.
“European style, (Nikola) Vucevic is there, a bonafide NBA starter for his team, and some others. Diyan mapapalaban talaga tayo.”
To have a shot against Montenegro, Reyes said Gilas will have to play even better than it did against Ivory Coast, where five players finished in double figures led by the 13 each of Jordan Clarkson and June Mar Fajardo.
On Monday, the Philippines faces no. 31 Mexico in its last friendly game before the August 25 World Cup opener.
The Mexicans checked in last Saturday together with Angola and Egypt.
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