Is it an overkill?

After the Philippines’ 147-40 massacre of Myanmar at the SEABA Championships here last Friday, some fans wondered if it was an overkill to assemble a top-caliber team with Andray Blatche in preying on hapless opposition. They even said any UAAP or NCAA team could dispose of Myanmar just as handily without resorting to recruiting a naturalized player.

Myanmar was mercilessly crushed by Gilas and probably shouldn’t have been allowed to participate in the tournament in the first place. The lineup that Myanmar team manager Aung Myint submitted to SEABA last April 27 (one day before the deadline) showed only four of 12 players with passport numbers and no jersey numbers. Incomplete documentation would be grounds for disqualification.

But despite the shortcomings, Myanmar showed up to play Gilas and was bludgeoned. Gilas started the game on a 17-0 run and allowed only seven points in the first period. The second quarter opened with a 12-0 salvo from Gilas and the third, another 17-0 bomb. Gilas’ lead ballooned to 81 at the start of the fourth and the hometowners closed it out with a 12-0 blast. The stats were mind-boggling as Gilas had more fastbreak points, 77-9, more turnover points, 54-4, more points in the paint, 100-12, more steals, 25-4, more blocked shots, 11-1, more assists, 45-8 and more field goal attempts, 99-71. Myanmar finished with 38 turnovers compared to Gilas’ 10.

Gilas feasted on Myanmar without let-up which is the way it should be in preparing the national team for bigger games in SEABA and beyond. Coach Chot Reyes subbed by platoons then juggled combinations that included Japeth Aguilar and Raymond Almazan playing together. Allein Maliksi, Matthew Wright and R. R. Pogoy were the only players who logged at least 20 minutes. Maliksi and Wright were tested from beyond the arc and responded with a combined 6-of-13 performance. Pogoy was paired with Jayson Castro and Jio Jalalon in the backcourt and he, too, passed his test with flying colors, compiling 17 points, six rebounds and three assists.

** * * Blatche, JuneMar Fajardo, Castro and Aguilar played sparingly but did enough to stamp their mark on the court. Blatche had a quiet 11 points, six rebounds and five dimes while Fajardo went 7-of-7 from the floor. Castro’s only field goal was an uncontested layup off a crossover down the middle. Aguilar scored 11 points on 5-of-7 field goals and a free throw.

Reyes isn’t taking any chances in SEABA because only the winner advances to play at the FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon in August and the Asia/Oceania home-and-away qualifiers, starting in November, for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Better safe than sorry as there is no excuse for losing SEABA. Anything less than first place would be a disaster.

In SEABA, the Philippines will likely get its toughest test against Indonesia on May 18. Last Friday, Indonesia trounced Singapore, 71-50 and led by 37 in the third period. Singapore was limited to three points in the first quarter. Indonesia didn’t suit up naturalized player Jamarr Johnson and New York-born Arki Wisnu whose papers are still undergoing clearance with FIBA to assure they never saw action for another country before. It’s likely that Johnson and Wisnu will be cleared in time to play Gilas.

SEABA official Col. Lee Kak Kuan of Malaysia said as soon as the papers are cleared, Johnson and Wisnu can play for Indonesia. Wisnu, 29, played four years with the Division III Baruch College varsity in New York. It shouldn’t be a problem for Wisnu to obtain clearance because after all, he played for Indonesia at the SEABA Cup in Chiang Mai in 2012 and the Southeast Asian Games in 2015. He should’ve been allowed to play in SEABA from the start without question under the principle of previous clearance.

** * * As for Johnson, Col. Lee said SEABA wanted an affirmation from FIBA that Indonesia will be the first national team he’s played for. Johnson, 28, is one of only two naturalized players listed in the SEABA rosters this year, the other being Blatche. He was visibly disappointed in not playing last Friday. Johnson said he’s committed to play for Indonesia until after the SEA Games.

Playing a team like Myanmar has its pitfalls. First, you don’t get to execute your usual halfcourt sets because the game is wide open. Against stiff opposition, you won’t score as many fastbreak points and you won’t find it that easy to generate turnovers. So a blow-out game can lull a team into a false sense of superiority. Second, you’re not challenged. When the time comes that you’re faced with a serious threat, you’ve got to adjust your bearings. And third, you’re criticized for an overkill.

But there are good points, too. First, you’re able to use the game for practice. Blatche had only five workouts with Gilas and even if he played just 12:25 minutes against Myanmar, there was still something positive to gain from the virtual scrimmage. Blatche had five assists, four steals and two blocked shots to go with 11 points and six boards. He played unselfishly and looked to dish to open teammates. Only four players were retained from the cast that represented the country at the 2014 FIBA World Cup so Blatche has a lot of familiarizing to do. Second, you extend your rotation to play 12 men. Everybody got a chance to play against Myanmar.