Hey Gilas, We Did Our Homework on Jordan and Iran
This week, Gilas Pilipinas is in a must-win situation.
Bringing a 2-4 record to the second round of the FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers, our national squad currently ranks fifth in Group E, which houses Australia (6-0), Iran (5-1), Jordan (5-1), and New Zealand (4-2).
Only the top three teams of Group E and Group F (along with the best fourth-placed team) will make it to next year’s World Cup in Qatar. If Gilas wants to keep in step with the powerhouses in its group, the games on Aug. 28 and 30 will have to end with a W for the Philippine contingent.
The good news is, our Gilas boys will have homecourt advantage as their two August window games will be held at the Mall of Asia Arena. The bad news is, their opponents will be two formidable Middle Eastern squads that are looking to knock Australia off the highest perch in Group E.
We’re sure that coach Tim Cone and his staff have done their homework on these opponents. Let’s do the same.
Jordan: Is This the Jalen Harris Show?
Of the 16 teams left standing in the Asian Qualifiers, there are only four teams that average 85 points or more per outing. Jordan is one of them.
Offense is the name of the game for the No. 41-ranked team in the world. Jordan is tied with New Zealand at no. 3 in field goal percentage, and they’re also no. 3 in free throw shooting. For those of you who love advanced stats, the Falcons are no. 2 in plus/minus and no. 4 in efficiency. In other words, Gilas will have to bring its A-game against a well-oiled scoring machine this Friday.
Leading the charge for Jordan is Jalen Harris, an American-born naturalized player who was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft. In the first round of the Asian Qualifiers, Harris led all scorers with 27.0 points per game on 49.5% shooting from the field.
Harris’ 45.3% outside shooting clip is something to keep an eye on, but perimeter defenders can’t just run him off the 3-point line, as he can stop on a dime and sink buckets from midrange. He’s also unafraid of contact and relishes the chance to draw fouls off aggressive drives to the basket.
Should Gilas crowd Harris and make Jordan’s other players beat us? That sounds like a plan, given that the discrepancy between Harris and the next two leading scorers on his team is sizable. Still, those two players are nothing to mess with: playmaker Freddy Ibrahim (11.2 ppg on 44.2% FG shooting) is as clutch as they come, and 6-foot-11 Ahmad Al Dwairi (12.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.5 apg) is a menace in the paint. In particular, the Harris-Ibrahim tandem in the backcourt is the engine that makes Jordan’s offense go.
Other threats on the Jordan side include 3-and-D wing Amin Abu Hawwas and Abdullah Olajuwon, the 6-foot-4 son of NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon. Are we going to see a second-generation Dream Shake, then?
Iran: A Bruising Encounter
In the first round of the Asian Qualifiers, only one team was able to beat Jordan. That team is coming to Pasay as well.
While the Jordan game on Friday looks to be a showcase of finesse, the match with Iran will be a bruising encounter. That’s because the Iranian squad is filled with big bodies that can barrel their way into the paint with ease.
When Iran blew out Jordan on July 3, they put constant pressure on the Falcons’ interior defense, forcing perimeter defenders and rim protectors alike to make a decision as they drove to the basket. At times, they also went into 4-out 1-in sets, where they’d let their bigs carve out space and cause the defense to collapse, opening up shooters on the outside. Look for players like 6-foot-7 Arsalan Kazemi, 6-foot-8 Salar Taheri, and the 7-foot-1 Hasan Aliakbari to be the focal point of these sets.
Don’t get me started on fastbreaks. Once these Iranians get off in transition, it’s hard to deter their easy looks on the other end.
Here’s something else to watch out for: Earlier in the Asian qualifiers, Iran fielded two spitfire guards who averaged 16.5 points apiece. These two guards are 6-foot-2 Behnam Yakhchali, who plays pro ball in Germany; and 6-foot Sina Vahedi, who had a solid stint with the Meralco Bolts in the 2025-26 EASL season. It’ll be interesting to see if Yakhchali or Vahedi will make the final cut this week.
So, What Should Gilas Do to Earn Top Marks?
Class, repeat after me: Kai Sotto is a game changer.
It’s been nearly two years since our 7-foot-3 prodigy donned the national colors, and now that Gilas is in serious need of a win—scratch that, two wins—Sotto’s presence in Tim Cone’s training camp is exactly what we needed to see.
If Kaiju can make Jordan work even harder on getting defensive stops and securing the boards, their efficiency on offense could perhaps take a blow. The Iranians, meanwhile, will be better foiled at the rim if our gentle giant is manning the paint.
While it’s great to see Sotto making his Gilas comeback, Justin Brownlee has taken a step back as he recovers from hamstring and leg injuries. That could have been a deal-breaker in past windows, but the truth is, we got next.
Remember how Kevin Quiambao, Juan Gomez de Liaño, and Dwight Ramos came up big on the scoring end in that sensational July game against New Zealand? Even as Justin Noypi struggled to score in that game, these youngsters proved that the pipeline of high-octane offense for Gilas is thriving.
Oh, and for the first time in a long time, Sotto will get to share the court with 6-foot-10 AJ Edu. That’s a two-man sampayan brigade that will impose its will in the shaded lane—a tandem that will validate Gilas’ stature as the no. 3 rebounding team in the Asian Qualifiers.
Sotto, Edu, and the rest of our national squad have a tall task ahead of them as they look to tow Gilas to a .500 record. It’s daunting to face a couple of 5-1 teams, but here’s some food for thought.
How did Iran pick up four of its five wins? By defeating no. 74 team Syria and no. 81 team Iraq twice.
How did Jordan pick up four of its five wins? By defeating no. 74 team Syria and no. 81 team Iraq twice.
I posit the theory, dear students of the game, that Iran and Jordan have not been truly tested in this buildup to the 2027 World Cup. This weekend, they’ll face a hungry, youthful Filipino team that has the backing of a boisterous crowd.
Take them to school, Gilas. Para sa bayan.
What does Gilas need to do against Jordan and Iran? Hit us up on Facebook, Instagram, and X! Class dismissed.
