JAKARTA -- A day after suffering a painful loss to China in the group stage of the men's basketball competitions in the 2018 Asian Games, Gilas Pilipinas was given a one-day break by head coach Yeng Guiao and they used it to bond with the Filipino community in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The players, coaches, and staff along with members of the media were treated to a feast that made the delegates a little less homesick.
"We're very happy that the Filipino community hosted a lunch for us because we've been eating the same food at the Athlete's Village. The food there is good but we've had it every day since we got here," Guiao said. "The Filipinos here prepared so much food for us. Being with them and sharing Filipino food together somehow lessens our homesickness."
After the lunch, the coaching staff will be heading back to work while the players enjoy the rest of their day off. Guiao along with assistant coaches Caloy Garcia and Ryan Gregorio will have to work doubly hard to prepare for their upcoming quarterfinal game, which should be against Korea.
"It's a different challenge because they play a different kind of game," Guiao explained. "China really uses their size to bully opponents while Korea does it with ball movement and outside shooting. They're deadly when you leave them open from deep so we have to focus on challenging their three-point shots."
Guiao is well aware of the history between the Philippines and Korea in basketball. He was teary-eyed the Gilas broke the curse of Korea back in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship where he was serving as an analyst for the TV broadcast.
"Historically, they've scored a lot of wins against us. We've always found it hard to win against them but I feel good this time, with Jordan Clarkson and with the way the rest of the guys are playing," he said. "Boss MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan) passed by the Athletes' Village last night to congratulate the players because he saw the effort that they put in."
The Philippines will surely be tested as Korea, the defending Asian Games gold medalists, put together a solid team anchored on naturalized big man Ricardo Ratliffe, who used to play for the Magnolia Hotshots in the PBA. However, Guiao remains confident of their chances.
"With the way this team is developing, the way they're getting that cohesion, we have a fighting chance," he said. "We were not very efficient in the game against China as it was Jordan's first game after the NBA Finals so we're expecting a little bit more efficiency in the game against Korea."