Gilas Vs. Qatar: Who Should Make The Lineup

Tomorrow, Gilas goes up against Qatar in a closed door match, as per the sanctions levied by FIBA for the now infamous Bulacan Brawl.

Qatar is one of the relative lightweights in the group, ranking last in points scored and assists, and  14th (out of 16th) in total rebounds.

Tanguy Ngombo will likely lead the team but they're going to need more than just his 14points and 8 rebounds. Qatar is a good team but they're nowhere near Gilas' level, if Gilas plays to their potential.



What is more interesting, though, is how Coach Yeng Guiao will juggle his lineup, given the availability of Japeth Aguilar and Matthew Wright, as well as Stanley Pringle.

Here's my take:

Players To Keep: Alex Cabagnot, Marcio Lassiter, Paul Lee, Scottie Thompson, Gabe Norwood, Raymond Almazan, Poy Erram, Ian Sangalang, Allein Malicsi

Gabe Norwood and Paul Lee have long proven their worth, Alamzan, Erram, and Sangalang form part of our frontline of the future, Thompson and Malicsi had quietly effective games which should earn them another shot while Cabagnot and Lassiter are PBA stars who should adjust to the international game quite quickly.

Players To Drop: Christian Standhardinger, Asi Taulava, Beau Belga

Standhardinger is our best big man right now but given Coach Yeng's plan of giving Pringle his shot at a FIBA qualifier, chances are he's out. Also, unlike Iran,  Qatar doesn't have a lot of bludgeoning size so the neeed for big bodies is not as massive. This is also why Taulava and Belga will find themselves out of the lineup.

Player To Move In: Stanley Pringle, Japeth Aguilar, Matthew Wright

Pringle is actually the closest to Jason Castro, when it comes to creativity and effectivity from the PG spot. Qatar gets to try to solve him first. Matthew Wright is a promising 3-and D guy, who could potentially be an even better wing than Gabe Norwood is. Japeth Aguilar is Japeth, which means we could get good Japeth, him of the dominant defense and efficient offense, or bad Japeth, who could play 20minutes without impacting the game.

Fearless Forecast: Gilas wins 70-54. Pringle should shine, as well as Wright and Lassiter. Ngombo will get his but Norwood, Malicsi and Wright should make things hard for him.