The Powerade-RP team pose prior to their departure for Beijing, China on Tuesday. The Nationals will compete in the 25th FIBA Asia Men’s Championship starting today in Tianjin, China.

Game Thursday
9 a.m. — RP vs Sri Lanka

TIANJIN — Powerade-Team Pilipinas arrived in high spirits Tuesday ready to wage war with the region’s cage superpowers in the 25th FIBA-Asia Men’s Championship in this residential city located 167 kilometers southeast of Beijing.

Tired after a red-eye four-hour flight from Manila and a two-hour bus ride through highways lined with cornfields and high-rise condominiums and tenements, the Nationals – from veteran Asi Taulava to No. 1 draft pick Japeth Aguilar – expressed readiness to do battle.

“We’re ready to go, ready to play,” beamed Taulava, the team captain. “We had a good practice yesterday, one of our best.”

Brushing aside a series of unfortunate events in the William Jones Cup tournament in Taipei last week where the country finished sixth with a 2-6 record, Taulava said every team is now on equal footing.

“The record is zero-zero; it doesn’t matter what happened before,” he said. “As I’ve told my teammates, ‘we have a good chance for a win, let’s make the best of it.’”

Aguilar, his confidence apparently boosted by Burger King picking him No. 1 overall in the PBA Draft Sunday, said he believes the losses in the Jones Cup have their upside.

“Maganda na rin yung natalo muna para madaling malaman kung ano pa ang kulang namin, kung ano ang dapat gawin,” he said. “Pag panalo ka, wala ka ng masyadong adjustments na gagawin.”

The 6-foot-10 son of former Northern Consolidated center Peter Aguilar expressed mixed feelings over the tournament designed to pick the three regional qualifiers to the 16th FIBA World Championship in Istanbul, Turkey next year.

“Excited siempre, pero anxious at the same time kasi gusto kong malaman kung ano kakalabasan ng preparasyon at adjustments na ginawa namin for one week,” he said.

The Philippines take to the water against Sri Lanka at 9 a.m. Thursday at the Tianjin gym before facing Japan and South Korea in two 9 p.m. encounters on Friday and Saturday.

Victories in their first three games should put the Nationals on good standing for the showdown with defending champion Iran, Jones Cup tormentor Taiwan and either Uzbekistan or Kuwait when the top three teams from Group A, holding carry-over records, meet their counterparts in Group B.

The top four teams then advance to the quarterfinals against most likely host China, Jordan, Lebanon and Qatar, from Groups C and D.

As mysterious as the Sri Lankans are, national coach Yeng Guiao prefers not to take any chances.

“We have zero scouting of them. We haven’t seen them play,” said Guiao. “But we have to come up with our best immediately.”

South Korea and Japan clash at 2 p.m.

Other inaugural day matches pit Kazakhstan vs. Qatar, Iran vs. Chinese-Taipei, India vs. China, Indonesia vs. United Arab Emirates, Kuwait vs. Uzbekistan, and Lebanon vs. Jordan.

Members of Powerade-RP, led by Guiao and PBA operations and technical chief Rickie Santos left Manila at 7 a.m. via Philippine Air Lines, arriving at Beijing before noon and met by team manager JB Baylon and PBA media bureau head Willy Marcial.