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17 February, 2020
28 August, 2021
27/11/2020
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Group A: Renewed rivalry and dreamy debuts on the way

 MANAMA (Bahrain) - There is a lot of action to unpack in Window 2 of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers for the teams in Group A.

There will be plenty of fresh new faces so see, young and seasoned. There will be rivalries resuming action with stakes higher than ever before. In summary, there will be a lot of exciting action here in Group A.

Team to beat: Indonesia

The Philippines are the unbeaten team here and Indonesia did suffer two losses, but there might not be a team that is more prepared for Window 2 as Indonesia in both the Bahrain and Qatar bubbles.

Their Window 1 breakout stars, Abraham Damar Grahita and Andakara Prastawa, will both be present in Bahrain, ready to rock the perimeter defense of their foes. Team leader and veteran Arki Wisnu will also be there to set the tone.

 

The most intriguing part about Indonesia in this second window, however, will be their new recruits. We’ll get to that in a bit.

FIBA World Ranking, presented by NIKE

(Updated March 3, 2020)

WORLD
RANK
COUNTRY ASIA
RANK
IOC CURRENT POINTS
30. KOR Korea 5. KOR 341.5
31. PHI Philippines 6. PHI 334.3
92. INA Indonesia 18. INA 98.9
99. THA Thailand 21. THA 90.8

 Key Matchup: Thailand vs Indonesia

These two teams have yet to face each other in the Qualifiers so far. It probably won’t seem like it when they match up for the first time on November 28.

Indonesia and Thailand have a long on-going rivalry over the past decade and have the chance to add fuel to the fire here. It’s a matchup that has been highlighted ever since the Group Draw, so the fans will finally get what they want.

 

Coach Rajko Toroman has brought along a tough team as mentioned above. Thailand will try to match that up with the likes of their usual stars such as Chanatip Jakrawan, Nakorn Jaisanuk, and Nattakarn Muangboon.

Click here for the full schedule of the Asia Cup Qualifiers.

Star: Chanatip Jakrawan (THA)

At the very least, Thailand will need Jakrawan to play like a star in this tough stretch. Thailand will be playing three games in the upcoming days so they’ll need as much as they can get from their promising center.

The 23-year-old was one of the bright spots from their narrow loss to Korea with 15 points and 5 boards. He’s been Thailand’s key focus on both sides of the court through the Pre-Qualification process.

There’s no time better than now for the big man to rise to the occasion, starting on November 27 when they face the Philippines.

Player to Watch: Lester Prosper (INA)

After suffering two straight losses in the first window of the Qualifiers, Indonesia badly needs a win here in the Bahrain bubble. It’s a good start they they’ve been able to get Lester Prosper to suit up just in time.

Prosper is just what the doctor prescribed for Indonesia, as they sorely lacked size and muscle in the paint in those first two defeats. The 32-year-old brings that to the table, as well as contagious energy that you can expect to see from the team.

Make sure to see him in action for Indonesia for the very first time when Indonesia faces Thailand on November 28.

Familiar Face: Kobe Paras (PHI)

For someone who hasn’t played for the Philippines’ senior men’s national team in a FIBA competition, it sure seems like we’ve seen Kobe Paras around for a long time.

A large part of that is because we’ve seen him star for the youth national team and in FIBA 3X3 events. Now, we’ll finally get to see how he matches up against the big boys.

You might be used to seeing Kobe Paras in a Philippines national team jersey already. You’ll get the chance to see him don that proud Gilas kit once again, this time with a chance to qualify for the biggest stage in Asian basketball on the line.

FIBA