RP team kicks off FIBA campaign in Tehran

Games Sunday (All times local - Tehran) 4:15 p.m. – Philippines vs. Iran (B) 6:30 p.m. – Qatar vs. India (A) 8:45 p.m. – Bahrain vs. Kazakhstan (B) The San Miguel-Philippine team takes on tricky Iran Sunday when it formally starts its campaign in the 18th FIBA Asia Champions Cup at the Azadi Sports Complex in Tehran, Iran. Gametime of the Group B match is 4:15 p.m. (8:45 p.m. Manila Time) with the SMB team hoping to use this tournament as springboard for next week's SEABA tournament and July's FIBA Asia tilt that acts as qualifier for next year's Beijing Olympics, according to a statement Sunday. The top team from the five-team Group B advances outright to the semifinals after the eliminations and this gives national coach Chot Reyes' squad more drive to win not only against the hosts . "There is now a big incentive to top our group. To do that, it is imperative we win all games," Reyes said. Iran, represented by Saba Battery Club, led the winners at the start of the eight-nation tournament last Saturday and tried to shore up its chances against the Philippines by using an age-old ploy when it played undermanned Bahrain at the start of the eight-team tilt last Saturday. Former Purefoods import Gabe Muoneke was used sparingly in the first half, along with usual top gunners Samad Bahrami, Aidin Bahrami and Babak Nazafat, while hulking import Joseph Garth rode the bench the entire game. Saba handily won 78-48 and was later joined as leader of Group B by Syria, a 94-70 winner over listless Kazakhstan. Lebanon beat Qatar 76-68 in the lone match in Group A, where all three teams have advanced outright to the quarterfinals. The SMB team, who drew an opening day bye and had the luxury of scouting the opposition first, was not fooled by the Iranians' strategy. "Very typical na ang mga taguang ganyan sa international competitions," noted Reyes. "That is why our original program was not only a three-year preparation but also a three-year scouting, so we won't be surprised by the opposition." For Reyes, all the Iranians are wearing familiar faces. "We've been keeping an eye out on those guys for a long time," he said. The arrival Sunday morning of center Rico Villanueva and assistant coach Nash Racela makes the Nationals complete. Racela did not leave with the rest of the RP Team last Friday to accompany Villanueva. Reyes said Villanueva will help shore up his team's frontline, especially against the Iranians, who have a towering frontline anchored on Muoneke, Garth and Asghar Kardoust, a 6-foot-8 Sonny Thoss look-alike. - GMANews.TV