Yes, it's them again.
South Korea always seems to stand in the way of the Philippines' hoops ambitions. Even after Gilas Pilipinas defeated them in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship in Manila, the Koreans quickly made the win irrelevant. Their continued dominance over the men's national basketball team in recent encounters has aficionados either shuddering or shrugging at the mention of South Korea as a basketball nation.
The rivalry is renewed on Monday as the teams contend for a spot in the semifinals of the ongoing 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The last time the two teams met was in the quarterfinal round of the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Beirut. After Gilas Pilipinas swept its preliminary round assignments (including a victory over China), South Korea qualified as the last seed. They had to beat Japan to advance to the quarterfinals and face the Philippines -- the top team from Group B.
It ended up being a 118-86 massacre with five Koreans scoring in double figures and shooting a ridiculous 16-of-21 ob 3-pointers. They eventually won the bronze medal while the Philippines settled for fifth.
It was a different story in the last edition of the Asiad in Incheon. There the home team leaned on the exploits of marksman TJ Moon to repel the weary Gilas squad -- fresh off its stint in the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain -- to prevail 97-95. The Philippines, led by captain Jimmy Alapag's 25 points, almost defeated their rivals on their own floor.
Moon and Alapag are no longer with their national teams and only four players remain for the Koreans from their 2014 roster. Here is their 2018 lineup for Indonesia:
If the Koreans were already a tough out before, adding a naturalized player who knows Philippine basketball very well only adds to the headache Coach Yeng Guiao and his staff have.
Ricardo Ratliffe, although a mainstay in the Korean Basketball League (KBL), has spent a lot of time in the PBA as the resident reinforcement of the Magnolia franchise in the 2016 and 2017 Commissioner's Cup. The former NCAA All Big 12 second team member started his professional career in Korea as a member of the Mobis Phoebus in 2012. He is a regular player at the KBL prompting Korean basketball officials to have him naturalized early this year.
In the Asian Games competition, Ratliffe has amassed an average of 23.3 PPG and an astounding 13.0 RPG while going 61 percent from the field on 27-of-41 shooting. Those are tournament-leading numbers and Ratliffe hasn't been tested so far as Korea was played Mongolia, Thailand and hosts Indonesia in Group A.
Because of the blowout nature of Korea's wins in the preliminary rounds, Ratliffe has not seen extended minutes on the hard court and having him well-rested bodes well for them heading into the knockout stages.
Ratliffe has locked horns with everyone on the Philippines squad with the exception of Christian Standhardinger (who will most likely be assigned to defend him) and, of course, Jordan Clarkson. Ratliffe will have an edge since he knows the tendencies of the likes of Asi Taulava, Raymond Almazan, Poy Erram and Beau Belga. He has also played alongside Paul Lee -- so he would be able to share some tips with his young backcourt buddies on the Korean side.
The South Koreans' roster has no local player taller than 6-foot-7 with coach Hur Jae appearing to have fully integrated the facets of speed, agility and quickness into this system. The Koreans are known for their amazing ball movement to locate their deadly perimeter threats -- but with the lack of a legitimate ceiling, they could be hard pressed to coral rebounds.
Guiao will likely focus on Kim Sun-hyung, who is the second-leading local scorer in the ongoing FIBA World Cup qualifiers. Kim averages 12.1 PPG while shooting a team-high 60 percent from beyond the arc. His fellow long bombers in Heo Ung (16-34), Jeon Jun-beom (14-30) and Lee Jung-hyun (12-38) have been pitching in, loosening the interior defense so that Ratliffe can dominate.
Guiao says he has game plan against the reigning champions of this event. Maybe the team will focus on stopping Ratliffe. Maybe it will focus on disrupting their opponent's precision offense and marksmanship. One thing is for sure: Korea is a four-time winner in this competition and it will take a determined effort to diffuse their vaunted offense.
However, after China barely escaped the game against the Philiippines, the Koreans might be in for than a few surprises. Looking ahead, should the Philippines pull through against their arch rivals, the transitioning Iranians may be their semifinal opponents (after they dispose of a depleted Japanese squad).
Has Clarkson fully imbibed Guiao's system (and ready to play heavy minutes)? Does the national team now have a better bond after spending more time together already? What really is that heavily-guarded game plan against the Koreans? We will find out on Monday.