RENOWNED as Asia's two-time best point guard and a former member of the Philippine men’s national basketball team, Jayson Castro has high hopes for Jordan Clarkson, the naturalized player for Gilas Pilipinas, in the upcoming 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Castro, speaking during the Fiba Basketball World Cup Trophy Tour at SM Lanang Premier on August 18, expressed his confidence in Clarkson's ability to execute Coach Chot Reyes' offensive strategies, drawing parallels to his role in the NBA.
“I think kayang-kaya naman niya kasi sa NBA, ‘yun naman talaga ‘yung role niya (In the NBA, he's accustomed to fulfilling that role, and I believe he can do the same here),” Castro said at the sidelines of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Trophy Tour in SM Lanang Premier, August 18.
He and former TNT teammate Jimmy Alapag served as point guards under Reyes' leadership during the 2014 World Cup in Spain.
Castro highlighted that Jordan Clarkson, a former NBA Sixth Man of the Year, possesses the skills to effortlessly score points and adeptly distribute the ball. Such qualities are bound to be pivotal for Gilas' performance.
However, Castro was quick to stress the importance of support from local Filipino players, particularly Kiefer Ravena, CJ Perez, and Dwight Ramos as influential off-guard players.
The TNT Tropang Giga player also emphasized the current Gilas roster's advantages in terms of preparation and athleticism.
He also sees the crowd as a big advantage for Gilas coming to the elimination stages.
“Mas matagal ngayon at mas prepared sila and then second yung mga player, mas athletic may mga big man (They trained longer now and they're more prepared and the players are more athletic, we have big men too)," Castro said.
With the FIBA World Cup returning to the Philippines after 45 years, co-hosted by Indonesia and Japan, the event is set to take place from August 25 to September 10. Gilas Pilipinas aims to improve upon their previous performance, aiming to rectify their 0-3 record from the 2019 FIBA World Cup held in China.
In this year's tournament, Gilas is slated to face the Dominican Republic on August 25, Angola on August 27, and Italy on August 29.
Meanwhile, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Richard Bachmann, in a statement, said: "We hold an optimistic view that the unwavering support from our national government and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) will attract hordes of Filipino basketball enthusiasts to fill the stands in every game, becoming an integral part of this historic event." ICE