Guiao takes responsibility for Gilas’ loss
Jakarta—Jordan Clarkson and the rest of Gilas Pilipinas made their way past Filipino and international media just after the buzzer confirming the Filipinos’ exit in the medal rounds of the 18th Asian Games here on Monday afternoon.
It was evident that they were very frustrated. And Filipino scribes could give them a pass because of that.
One would think coach Yeng Guiao would do the same, or at best, try to point a finger at anything or anyone after the country lost another heartbreaker to South Korea, 91-82, in the quarterfinal round of the basketball competition at Gelora Bung Karno Hall.
“I take full responsibility for it,” Guiao met local scribes. “We were in the game until the last 5-6 minutes, until we committed some crucial turnovers. We were not comfortable with the zone (defense Korea played on us). And that was my responsibility (to prepare them).”
Clarkson rebounded from a slow start by shooting 21 points in the final two periods. He paced himself well this time and didn’t cramp up, but a spate of bad decisions and critical errors did the Filipinos in as Gilas can now hope to finish at fifth place at best.
The Filipinos blew an eight-point third quarter lead, falling to the Korean zone and melting down in the fourth when the game was truly on the line as they finished with 13 turnovers after having just five in the first half.
Guiao’s game plan of allowing Korea’s naturalized player, Ricardo Ratliffe, to operate inside almost worked, as the Filipinos didn’t give the Korean outside gunners many open looks. And if they did get it, they were simply missing it.
Until the tide turned in the fourth, when no amount of defense could scuttle Korea anymore.
“It was working for 3-1/2 quarters,” Guiao said of the ploy. “But they just found their (shooting) rhythm in the fourth. Korea just played a better game today. Again, I take full responsibility.”
Korea made five triples in the fourth and was 12-for-34 for the game. It’s a bad clip considering the way it shot in its first three games in the classification round, but it came at a time when the Koreans had to make them.
The Filipinos played the best they could and despite that, the Philippines’ streak of losses to the Koreans in the Asiad dating back to 1962 continues.
But despite that, Guiao knows what he saw on the floor just minutes before, and continued to heap praises on his ragtag bunch for giving it all they had.
“It was a good effort, the guys gave it their all,” he said. “I can’t ask anything more from them.”