Gilas Pilipinas opened its European pocket tournament with a loss to the Estonian under-21 team 81-71 early Wednesday morning (Manila time), but head coach Chot Reyes wasn't in any way disappointed with the result.
"Like I said in the dugout, I was very impressed, I was very happy with our first game considering our bigs -- this is June Mar's (Fajardo) first game in six months and Japeth's (Aguilar) first game in four months," Reyes said in an interview published by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas on its official Facebook page.
"For us to continue to battle, we were down 20 and still we showed a lot of fight. Putting ourselves within a basket, we were three points down in the middle of the fourth, and we played the fourth without Justin Brownlee who had suffered cramps by that time.
"So (it's a) good first step (and I'm) very, very happy. Going into this ballgame, we know we still have a long way to go, still a lot of work to be done because this is a work in progress, so (I) can't ask for more."
Point guard Kiefer Ravena, who scored six points in 20 minutes, echoed his coach's sentiments, saying: "(We're) very happy. Even if we lost, this is part of the journey.
"We need to learn how to play together. We talked about the fact that this is June Mar's first game after how many months. Japeth had an injury and most of us came from different teams. So this is a positive outcome even if we lost.
"I know the results we want are to win every game but right now, the process is more important and I hope we all be patient with the team so we can achieve what we want."
Only 11 players suited up for Gilas after Scottie Thompson was a late scratch due to back spasms, according to a tweet from One Sports' Carlo Pamintuan -- who is with the team.
Naturalized player Ange Kouame and former Gilas Youth center AJ Edu were not in the 12-man lineup.
The Gilas twin towers indeed showed some rust after long layoffs. Fajardo played 24 minutes and finished with six points on 1-of-5 shooting to go with a team-high nine boards, while Aguilar took just two shots and had five points in 14 minutes of action.
Dwight Ramos was the lone Gilas player in double digits with 16 points, but he shot just 5-of-15.
The game, held in the Estonian city of Tallinn, saw the hosts take a 29-14 lead after the first quarter as Gilas was rusty on both ends of the floor.
Gilas gradually chipped away at the lead and came to within 64-61 early in the fourth but couldn't get over the hump as Brownlee had to leave the game.
The lack of familiarity among players was evident, though, as they committed 23 turnovers.
"Unfortunately we had 23 turnovers, but that's to be expected because this is our first game together as a team," Reyes said. "I told the players that we can expect that. Our offense is really going to struggle, and those 23 turnovers reflected that.
"I thought we didn't play good defense in the first half but, in the second half, we tightened up a lot more and that allowed us to get back and stay in the game."
The Estonians were expected to present the European style of play that Gilas can expect to encounter in the FIBA World Cup, and on that end, they delivered.
"Great shape, they pressure a lot, and that was a test for us," Reyes noted. "Very good first game, and that's why we decided to play this game.
"We knew that we were going to be tested both offensively and defensively because the way they run their offense is so efficient.
"They move hard, they sprint, so it's going to force our defense to work, and then defensively they pressure a lot so it brought a lot of difficulty into our offense as well to get into our flow.
"Again, that's why we came here, to learn and to grow. Like I said, I couldn't ask for a better first game."
Gilas' next game won't be any easier as they take on Finland, which has also qualified for the FIBA World Cup and is ranked 13th in the world, late Wednesday night (Manila time).
It's not clear if Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markannen will play as he recently posted on social media about undergoing Finland's mandatory military training but even without him, Finland will post a formidable challenge for Gilas.
"The good news is it was a good first step," Reyes noted.
"The bad news is tomorrow's game is going to be five or ten times tougher than today's game. So again, we'll see.
"We'll see how we respond and how we react tomorrow. Like I said, that's the reason why we're here."
Ravena said the team is focused on the bigger goal of this pocket tournament, stressing: "You can never move forward unless you trust one another and you really be big on chemistry.
"Most of these teams have been together for how many years already even though they play separately with different clubs.
"So that's something we have to learn and something we have to get used to when it counts the most."