ALL HANDS (almost) on deck.
Fil-Am NBA star Jordan Clarkson and big man Kai Sotto — two key pieces missing for the good part of the pre-FIBA World Cup buildup — finally checked in as Gilas Pilipinas entered the final stage of preparations.
Mr. Clarkson attended his first session Wednesday night at the PhilSports Arena, going to work a day after arriving from the US.
Mr. Sotto, who stayed in Manila while the pool participated in the Heyuan WUS International Basketball Tournament in China due to back injury, also reported for practice and did some drills.
The 7-foot-3 Mr. Sotto is said to be waiting for doctor’s clearance to determine if it’s green and go for his stint in the Aug. 25 to Sept. 10 hoops showcase.
Messrs. Clarkson and Sotto linked up with June Mar Fajardo, Japeth Aguilar, AJ Edu, CJ Perez, Chris Newsome, Ray Parks Jr., Kiefer Ravena, Dwight Ramos, Thirdy Ravena, Calvin Oftana, RR Pogoy, Jamie Malonzo and Rhenz Abando in the closed-door session.
It’s nearly a complete pool with injured Scottie Thompson (hand) and Poy Erram (knee) the only ones not in harness.
Mr. Thompson fractured his hand during their previous camp in Europe last month and is hoping to heal fast and still make it Erram, however, is reportedly out of it all.
Gilas coach Chot Reyes said integration and execution are main focus for the next two weeks before the opener against the Dominican Republic.
“Game condition, game shape, understanding of the pace and kind of competition we’ll be playing were the goals of the previous phase of the training. Now coming back from China, we’ll focus on integration and execution and game planning,” Mr. Reyes said.
With Mr. Clarkson in tow, Gilas will have three more tune-up games versus teams from Ivory Coast, Montenegro and Mexico before heading into WC battle versus the Dominicans, Angola and Italy. — Olmin Leyba