AS a disappointing Gilas Pilipinas campaign draws to a close, head coach Yeng Guiao reflected on lessons learned at the 2019 Fiba World Cup which he said should make future national sides better prepared to take on the world's best teams.
With a game against Iran on Sunday night [8 p.m.] counting as the final opportunity for Gilas to get a win in this conclave, Guiao focused on what he learned while coaching a team that he said did its best despite the "limitations."
"This team did its best but we had our limitations. We learned our lessons and we’ll try to be a better team next time," the multi-titled coach said in the face of criticism over a 0-4 campaign that included gory losses to Serbia and Italy.
"The lessons we learned from this World Cup should be able to be passed onto the other teams," he added.
As the Philippines prepares to host the next Fiba World Cup in 2023, Guiao batted for a long-term program that will primarily include 'immersions' to basketball as it is played in Europe, Latin America and other parts of the world.
More than anything else, Guiao rued this Gilas team's inexperience of playing at this level as the losses piled up in Foshan, China.
"We need a longer preparation time. We need to get out of Asia and get experience versus teams from the other zones like in Europe or Latin America," said Guiao, who has won seven championships with three different teams in the PBA.
The World Cup setbacks are but a fitting end to a tumultuous stretch for the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), which was forced to reboot the Gilas program after the July 2018 brawl against Australia that led to suspensions to mainstays of the national squad as well as former coach Chot Reyes.
Guiao was the consensus choice of both the SBP and the PBA to take over the team and pick up the pieces along the way.
Since taking charge, Guiao led a Philippine side led by NBA player Jordan Clarkson to fifth place in the 2018 Asian Games as well as wins in the final window of the qualifiers that sealed Gilas' place at this World Cup.
Along the way, he had to deal with several challenges.
Guiao sought a one-month European camp and a campaign in the Jones Cup for this team, but both requests could no longer be accommodated by the PBA schedule. His team was also hit with untimely injuries to top gunners Marcio Lassiter and Matthew Wright and the pullout of starting guard Jayson Castro.
Instead of offering excuses, Guiao focused on the lessons that the country can pick up from this debacle.
"Preparing for the World Cup doesn’t just take months, the program needs to be set years earlier," he said.
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