Team Philippines should be on the lookout for these five guys.
Team Jordan has already secured a ticket to the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. That, however, hasn’t stop them from bringing their biggest guns in the sixth window of the Asian qualifiers. Perhaps, the Middle Eastern squad is focused on avenging their 66-74 defeat on home soil last November.
Facing a stacked lineup later this evening, Gilas Pilipinas will be in for a challenge tougher than the one Lebanon gave them three days ago. On that note, take a look at Jordan’s 12-man lineup, as well as their five best guys whom Gilas should really keep an eye on.
PG - Freddy Ibrahim
After posting 21 points and 13 assists against India, the Jordanian floor general upped his tournament averages to 10.2 buckets and 7.3 dimes. Clearly, he does a great job facilitating the plays of coach Wesam Al-Sous. If Scottie Thompson can hound Ibrahim all game long, Gilas might just derail Jordan’s redemption mission.
SG – Amin Abu Hawwas
Hawwas is a 6-foot-4 shooting guard who was able to put up 19 points against the top seeded New Zealand squad in their second-round encounter. The 28-year-old scorer didn’t play against Gilas the last time the two teams met, making him a new problem that coach Chot Reyes and his staff should solve.
SG – Dar Tucker
Without a doubt, Tucker is Team Jordan’s number one scoring specialist. His averaging a team-best 19.6 points for the entire tourney. At any given game, he can explode and drop a 30-piece. Gilas’ new naturalized player Justin Brownlee must have another fabulous performance to offset his counterpart’s production.
C – Ahmad Al Dwairi
Jordan’s 6-foot-11 center is someone Gilas needs to focus on immensely. He will score and he will crash the boards, given his formidable combo of size and skill. The Gilas frontcourt led by June Mar Fajardo must find a way to slow him down.
SG – Sam Bzai
In his last three games, Bzai has been averaging 12 points for Team Jordan including a 17-point outing against New Zealand. He does most of his damage from deep. He can get hot and he can get cold. But the important thing for Gilas is to not a let a guy like him slip under their radar.
The showdown between Gilas Pilipinas and Jordan will take place tonight at 6 PM inside the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.