 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns is a marked man for the Dominican Republic, but limiting him is tough, said Japeth Aguilar. FIBA (file photo) |
QUEZON CITY--Karl-Anthony Towns could be too talented of a center for the Dominican Republic that Gilas Pilipinas captain Japeth Aguilar believes a combined effort of his fellow big men could still fall short.
Speaking at the pre-FIBA World Cup press conference at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, the six-foot-nine power forward said that Gilas might need to gang up on the seven-foot center to limit him offensively.
"Hindi lang ako or my teammates ang dedepensa sa kanya. It really takes a whole village to stop him and even the Dominican Republic," Aguilar said.
Gilas now boasts its biggest frontline yet with Aguilar, 6-foot-10 AJ Edu and June Mar Fajardo, and seven-foot-three Kai Sotto taking turns manning the middle.
However, Towns' ability to spread the floor with his three-point shooting and unique front-to-the-basket game for a center makes him a thorn for Gilas ahead of their showdown against the Dominican Republic on Friday night.
Aguilar said that a lot of in-game adjustments might be needed as well.
"We will find out when the game starts 'coz we can talk about the Xs and Os, but we'll never know when the game starts," he further said.
The Gilas-Dominican Republic game will take place in front of a potentially mammoth crowd at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, which is projected to break the FIBA World Cup record for the largest single-game attendance.
Follow him on X: @IvanSaldajeno
.jpg)
