CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Powerade Team Pilipinas head coach and Vice Governor Joseller Guiao foresees tough opposition coming up against the Filipino hoopsters in the forthcoming Fédération Internationale de Basketball or Fiba Asia games this August 6 to 16 in Tianjin, China.

The Fiba tourney is the qualifier for the 2010 World Championship in Istanbul, Turkey.

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Guiao, who steered the RP squad to capture the Southeast Asian Basketball Association crown in Medan, Indonesia earlier this month, told Sun.Star the hard fighting and swift Filipino cagers will be up against taller squads in the world championship qualifier.

During the Seaba tilt, Filipinos easily beat Indonesia, 98-68 in the finals after clobbering the Indons in their debut meeting, 103-64. The PBA-backed RP squad also demolished Singapore, 117-69, and dribbled Malaysia, 100-73, in the preliminaries.

“It will be a different story when we play at FIBA. The teams are taller, faster and tougher. I am looking at China as the top qualifier, especially with reports that they are fielding in NBA veteran Yao Ming,” Guiao said.

He said the second slot will be fight between the other top qualifiers like Iran, Lebanon, Korea, Qatar, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan, Jordan, and India.

“I am keenly looking at the second or third spot since the top three Fiba teams will get a chance at the World Basketball championships. But even at this level it will still be a battle of height, speed and tactics,” said the PBA coach of 17 years with five championship rings on his fingers when led the Swift Mighty Meaties twice to the crown and thrice with the Red Bull Barakos.

Guiao has pulled the trigger on a young Burger King Whopper team recently to place it a top PBA contender.

According to Guiao, finishing at the top three in the Fiba-Asia is a realistic goal.

“It’s a realistic goal to be on the top three. But we could make a better assessment when we play in the Jones Cup invitational games this July. It’s a fair goal since for me, iyung top slot bigay na natin sa China because they are the hosts. But we have a very good chance for the remaining two slots,” he said.

Guiao said they will make good use of their Seaba experience in preparation for the Fiba-Asia world qualifier, vowing to stick with their system and not how to overpower the opposition with their star-studded crew.

The Guiao assembled team, branded as the “first ever tall RP team,” includes PBA top guns James Yap, Arwind Santos, Cyrus Baguio, Jared Dillinger, Willie Miller, Asi Taulava, Jayjay Helterbrand, Ranidel de Ocampo, Mike Penissi, Kelly Williams, Sonny Thoss, and Ryan Reyes.

Guiao added that 6-foot-9 Japeth Aguilar, a former Ateneo Blue Eagle now suited up with Western Kentucky University, is set to arrive on June 25 to join the national team. (JTDL)