(CNN Philippines) — Even if coach Tab Baldwin had only little time to prepare, he remains confident of Sinag Pilipinas’ chances in the upcoming Southeast Asian Basketball Championship (SEABA).
“More [time for] preparation would be better, but the players and coaches have worked hard,” the national team head coach told CNN Philippines.
“We believe we are ready for the SEABA tournament.”
The SEABA, which is the qualifying tournament for the FIBA Asia Championship in China later this year, will run from April 27 to May 1.
Games will be played at the OCBC Arena in Kallang, Singapore.
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Despite the limited preparation time, star guard Kiefer Ravena is optimistic the team is now more cohesive from the time when the players first got togther.
“Our chemistry is improving. [The team has taken] very positive steps, with the tournament just days away,” said Ravena. “That’s the most important thing for us, especially [because] we had little time to prepare.”
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Aside from Ravena, naturalized Filipino Marcus Douthit and former college standout Ray Parks Jr. will lead Sinag Pilipinas in their SEABA campaign.
Completing the 12-man lineup are National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) MVP Scottie Thompson, Mac Belo, Troy Rosario, Kevin Ferrer, Glenn Khobuntin, Almond Vosotros, Norbert Torres, Jio Jalalon, and Russel Escoto.
Since only the top three teams will qualify for the FIBA Asia Championship, the national squad’s only goal in the SEABA is to bring home the gold.
The team leaves on Saturday (April 25) morning, Baldwin will join them after the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup finals between Talk ‘N Text and Rain or Shine.
Sinag opens the tournament against Indonesia on April 27 before taking on Laos the following day. They face Malaysia on April 29, Brunei on April 30, and close out the competition against host team Singapore on May 1.
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