Games Friday
1 p.m. — Jordan vs Taiwan-B
3 p.m. — Korea vs Japan
5 p.m. — Iran vs Lebanon
7 p.m. — Taiwan vs Kazakhstan

TAIPEI — Powerade-Team Pilipinas coach Yeng Guiao cancelled morning practice Thursday to give his players extra time to rest before they take on South Korea in the 31st William Jones Cup tournament.

Despite a 1-4 record in the 9-team field, the Nationals have amassed a wealth of experience in their scouting mission and “compressed” preparation here.

Still pressure builds on the need for the team to savor a couple of ego-boosting victories before the competition winds up on July 27 and the squad shifts to high gear for the 25th FIBA-Asia Men’s Championship from August 6-16 in Tianjin, China.

Following a heartbreaking loss to Taiwan Sunday, a blown victory against Japan Tuesday, and failure to sustain the offensive against faltering Lebanon Wednesday, the Nationals are up against a 4-1 South Korean team that shares Group A with them, Japan and Sri Lanka in the FIBA Asia World qualifier.

The top three teams from this bracket, holding carry-over records, take on the top three squads from Group B – Taiwan, Iran, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait – with the top four moving to the quarterfinals against the best four from Groups C and D.

The four teams with the best records advance to the cross-over semifinals with the winners clinching the first two berths to the 16th World Championship in Istanbul, Turkey next year. The losers dispute the third spot up for grabs.

The RP Team meets Taiwan-B Saturday before winding up against Iran, the 2007 FIBA-Asia Men’s Championship winner in Tokushima, Japan, on Sunday.

Practice resumes for the Nationals Tuesday at The Arena in San Juan, said Guiao, adding work must be done to improve their “zone defense, pick-and-roll defense, and conditioning.”

“We have no more time to rest,” Guiao said. “Ensayo na agad the next day pag balik dahil marami pang dapat ayusin.”

The Philippines lost to Jordan by 31 points on opening day, a victim of the defending champion’s aggressive defense and imposing inside presence.

“Dahil sa ang hahaba ng wingspan, pag nag-deny sila sa depensa hindi agad makita nong me bola yung mga susunod na options natin. Nai-stall tuloy yung opensa,” he said.

“We have to be able to seal our defenders well or screen off then pop out.”

Two other departments were the Nationals may have to put added hours working on before they take on the “real thing” – as Guiao labeled the Tianjin tournament – is their sloppy ball handling, which has resulted in numerous turnovers, and their rickety outside shooting, especially from the three-point area.

The RP team clanged 17 triples against Jordan and 18 against Taiwan, while turning the ball over 27 times against Lebanon.

Even the lone win so far against Kazakhstan was especially noteworthy, with the RP team committing 18 errors.

"We'll be working on all these concerns until we leave for Tianjin," Guiao said.