''Andray carried us on his shoulders'' - Philippines coach Yeng Guiao

MANILA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - Andray Blatche played the game of his life as the Philippines beat Kazakhstan and punched their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 tickets on the final day of the Asian Qualifiers.

"We didn’t have Andray Blatche in Manila.I think that was one big factor, but he carried us on his shoulders tonight." - coach Yeng Guiao

The 6ft 11in (2.10m) big man had a performance to remember, scattering 41 points, 13 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks and 5 three-pointers to lead the Philippines in their 93-75 payback effort against Kazakhstan.

 
"Andray was on fire," remarked head coach Yeng Guiao. "I was kinda worried that the guys were going to over-rely on him, but in the second half, the rest of the guys stepped up."

Indeed, Blatche came out of the gates with guns blazing, scoring 17 points in the first quarter alone to give the Filipinos some cushion against a determined Kazakhstan quintet.

"He just took over the game and that’s what he did for us," said Guiao. "If it weren’t for Andray, (we) would have been behind by 15 points, and it could have been very hard for us to come back."

Blatche did it all for Team Pilipinas, grabbing rebounds, getting steals and even handing out a few assists. The former Brooklyn Net was visibly motivated to leave everything on the floor, especially with a World Cup berth at stake.

"It was a very emotional game for us," Blatche explained. "We knew what’s at stake for us. It’s either we win or go home. I feel like we competed from the jump till the end."

 
He also deflected credit to his teammates, specifically to five-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo, who stepped up in the second half once Blatche was saddled with four fouls.

"I got into foul trouble, and I want to tip my hat to June Mar, he came in and he was really the game changer for us and took over the team for us," shared Blatche. "We had some minor speed bumps in the game like fouling, and being too emotional, but we stood to it."

 
For coach Guiao, it was clear that Blatche was the biggest difference-maker in terms of the team's fortunes. He admits that, in hindsight, excluding Blatche in the previous window proved costly, and he made sure to rectify that by having the New York native reprise his role for the national team.

"We didn’t have Andray Blatche in Manila," said Guiao. "I think that was one big factor, but he carried us on his shoulders tonight."

FIBA