The Smart Gilas Team Pilipinas are in high spirits as they begin their final preparations for the FIBA-Asia qualifiers next month when they see action in the 2011 William Jones Cup Basketball Championship in Taipeh starting tommorow. Smart Gilas will play gulf state powerhouse Jordan in the opener that will be televised locally by TV5’s AKTV on IBC13 and ESPN Philippines, respectively. Team skipper Chris Tiu is looking forward for at least a finals stint in the annual tournament, “Coach Rajko thinks we have a chance at a top three finish but I’m confident we could land in the top two. They say Hamed Haddadi is playing so if he does, we’ll get a glimpse when we play Iran in our last game.” On the other hand, National head coach Rajko Toroman says the Jones Cup is a great tune-up for the team and he also expect Smart Gilas to finish among the top three teams in the tourney, according to the Philippine Star.
“We’re hoping to finish in the top three even though we expect a tough field. The Jones Cup will be a good experience for us because we’re going to play strong teams that would make us tougher in time for the Wuhan tournament.”
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