One major reason Gilas Pilipinas lost to Bahrain to open their campaign at the 20th Asian Games was the game-long struggles of the guards—from Robert Bolick, to RJ Abarrientos, to Sedrick Barefield. One guard who didn’t struggle, however, was Adrian Nocum, who made his international hoops debut for the Philippines and certainly brought his “banat lang” mantra along.
Nocum came away with 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists as he tried his best to save Gilas from an opening-day loss. However, not only did he fall short, he also rolled his ankle with 1:51 remaining and had to leave the game.
Nocum Hopes to Play Against Kazakhstan
Afterward, the explosive Rain or Shine Elasto Painter allayed fears of a serious injury, vowing to shake it off ahead of the Philippines’ must-win clash versus Kazakhstan some 24 hours after their loss to Bahrain.
“Pagpag lang ‘to,” Nocum said with a smile during a post-game interview with One Sports.
As of writing, Nocum’s status for tonight’s all-important game is uncertain. However, according to the 27-year-old guard himself, he just needs some treatment and should be good to go.
“Medyo nanghihina pa, so siguro ano lang ‘to, iti-treat lang para makabalik ulit bukas. Sana makapaglaro ulit bukas,” he said.
Gilas Needs to Focus on Defense, Says Nocum
As Nocum and his teammates prepare for Kazakhstan, one area he hopes to improve is their defense, considering Gilas had no answer for Bahrain’s naturalized players.
“Siguro kailangan pa namin ‘yung depensa namin mas dagdagan pa namin, mas kailangan pa namin ‘yun… Medyo masama ‘yung depensa natin pero kahit papaano nandoon pa rin tayo,” said Nocum.
Still trailing 87-73 late in regulation, Gilas made one last push, but the rally came up just short. Don Trollano’s triple with 11.2 seconds remaining brought the Philippines within four, 89-85, but by then, it was too late for the Filipinos to seriously threaten Bahrain.
“‘Yun lang dagdagan lang namin depensa namin and ‘yung opensa namin medyo ayusin pa namin,” he added.
While Gilas will prioritize improving on the defensive end, the team must also find a way for its other players to contribute offensively if they want to extend their title defense.
