JORDAN CLARKSON is arriving Tuesday in Manila to fulfill his commitment to reinforce the Gilas Pilipinas in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup that starts in 17 days.
The Utah Jazz star, named the 2021 Sixth Man of the Year in the National Basketball Association, boarded a Philippine Airlines flight at the Los Angeles Airport with his staff.
He arrives the same day Tuesday as the national pool, which played in a pocket tournament in Guangdong, China, as part of its training camp ahead of the August 25 to September 10 the country is lead hosting with Japan and Indonesia.
“He will be here finally,” Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al Panlilio told BusinessMirror on Monday. “I’m very happy right now that he will finally join the team. That’s what we’ve been waiting for.”
Gilas head coach Chot Reyes said he expects the 31-year-old Clarkson to be in shape.
The 6-foot-5 Clarkson starts practicing Wednesday with Reyes confirming that he knows “what the team wants from him.”
“We’ve been exchanging thoughts and ideas, and he’s accepted it. He knows what we want from him,” Reyes told a radio interview over the weekend.
Clarkson missed Gilas Pilipinas’ Europe training camp last June as well as the Heyuan WUS international pocket tournament in Guangdong where the team played Iran and Senegal.
Ray Parks Jr. took charge in the dying minutes for Gilas Pilipinas which got back at Senegal, 75-63, Sunday to go 2-1 won-lost in Guandong. The team beat Iran, 76-65, but lost to Senegal, 64-72.
Gilas again played Iran late Monday.
Gilas plays its first game in Group A against world No. 23 Dominican Republic at 8 p.m. on August 25 at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
Next up will be No. 41 Angola on August 27 and No. 10 Italy on August 29 both games at the Smart Araneta Coliseum starting 8 p.m.
Image credits: Jhay Oh Otamias