Upbeat RP 5 hopes to do better in FIBA-Asia tourney

From team captain Asi Taulava, a rejuvenated JayJay Helterbrand to national team newcomer Japeth Aguilar, just about everybody in the Powerade-Team Pilipinas is upbeat about their shot at the 25th FIBA-Asia men’s basketball championship.

The Nationals checked in here late Tuesday afternoon after a seven hour flight from Manila to the bustling Chinese provincial city of Tianjin.

Initially listed as doubtful owing to a recurring pulled hamstring, Helterbrand, the soft-spoken Barangay Ginebra guard and reigning PBA most valuable player (MVP), declared that he feels better now and ready to go.

“There’s less pain and I’m feeling much better," said Helterbrand as he and the rest of the Powerade-RP linger at the lobby of the King Hall Hotel as they wait to be checked in. “Yeah, I’m ready to play."

Taulava and Japeth Aguilar, the youngest in the 12-man lineup, also expressed faith in the RP team’s shot at one of three berths at stake here for next year’s World Basketball Championship in Turkey.

“We’re ready to go, ready to play," said Taulava, now in his third and perhaps, final tour of duty with the national squad. “We had a good practice (Monday), one of our best."

“Excited siyempre, pero anxious at the same time kasi gusto kong malaman kung ano kakalabasan ng preparasyon at adjustments na ginawa namin for one week," Aguilar stressed. “Pero mas confident ako ngayon na magiging maganda ang resulta ng laro namin."

Taulava waved off losses in the Jones Cup tournament in Taipei last week where the country finished sixth with a 2-6 record.

“The record is zero-zero; it doesn’t matter what happened before," he said. “As I’ve told my teammates, ‘we have a good chance for a win, let’s make the best of it.’"

The Philippines faces Sri Lanka at 9 a.m. Thursday at the Tianjin gym before tackling Japan and South Korea in two 9 p.m. encounters on Friday and Saturday.

Victories in their first three games should put the Nationals in good stead for the showdown with defending champion Iran, Jones Cup tormentor Taiwan and either Uzbekistan or Kuwait when the top three teams from Group A, holding carry-over records, meet their counterparts in Group B.

The top four teams then advance to the quarterfinals against most likely host China, Jordan, Lebanon and Qatar, from Groups C and D.

South Korea and Japan clash at 2 p.m. while other opening day matches will have Kazakhstan vs. Qatar, Iran vs. Chinese-Taipei, India vs. China, Indonesia vs. United Arab Emirates, Kuwait vs. Uzbekistan, and Lebanon vs. Jordan.

Members of Powerade-RP led by Guiao and PBA operations and technical chief Rickie Santos left Manila at 7 a.m. via Philippine Air Lines, arriving at Beijing before noon and met by team manager JB Baylon and PBA media bureau head Willy Marcial.

Also with the Philippine delegation was Bernie Atienza, chairman of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas national teams’ management committee, who will sit with Santos in Wednesday afternoon’s FIBA Asia management committee.

SBP executive committee Noli Eala and Smart Gilas mentor Rajko Toroman, who coached Iran to the 2007 FIBA Asia championship in Tokushima, are arriving later in the day.