Gilas Pilipinas Basketball

Being able to finally coach Gilas Pilipinas big man Andray Blatche, head coach Yeng Guiao praised his stalwart for leading the team to a big 84-46 win over Qatar in the sixth window of the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

Blatche looked in ideal form in his return for the nationals, finishing with 17 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. He was instrumental in the Philippines’ 3rd quarter run which allowed the nationals to pull away as he hit three triples in one stretch.

“He is a game-changer. He helped us out. He controlled the momentum and the situations of the game,” Guiao said.

“He took a lot of the attention and that’s why (there were many) open shots and a lot of three-point shots. We had good looks, something we did not have (when he was out). His game speaks for itself.”

Blatche was unable to suit up during the fifth window of the qualifiers, an unfortunate instance given he was vocal about his intentions of playing in front of a home crowd.

Instead, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas opted for Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle in those pair of games.

Happy to be back, Blatche said he felt proud once more to be able to wear the red, white, and blue, while also adding they will not be satisfied until getting back to the World Cup.

“I feel great to be out there with my brothers again. We are not done yet. We still have one more game. We got to take care of it. We are not happy until we get to the World Cup,” Blatche said.

“It’s always a great honor. I’ve been with this team for many years, we competed with a lot of countries. There’s nothing else that matters than playing with this team. Great family, the bond, so many people, this is a great opportunity.”

Guiao and the rest of Gilas Pilipinas will look to bank on their star player once again when they face Kazakhstan in an all-important final match-up this Sunday, February 24.

By Levi Verora, Jr.

Photos from fiba.basketball