Clark has gone from a host to not a host then to a host again in a matter of weeks. But for Gilas Pilipinas Head Coach Jong Uichico, this quick transition will benefit the national team.
On Saturday's episode of Bull By the Horn by Benny Benitez, the nine-time Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) champion coach returned into the fold after exiting the Calamba training bubble and is set to enter another bubble in the country soon for the third window of the 2021 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Cup qualifiers. For Uichico, the switch has an advantage that Gilas could use.
"First of all, we don't need to travel (to Doha, Qatar). That's the first thing that came into my mind that we won't be traveling. Instead of traveling for 10 hours and get the time difference, we will only travel (to Clark) for two hours. We don't even have jet lag," Uichico said.
More importantly, Clark's being the host of the Asia Cup qualifiers again gives the national team to practice. "It gives us more again to practice because we've been practicing for a month (inside the Calamba bubble). Then when the (Clark) bubble is near, we will practice again so (the switch) allowed us to have more practice time for more improvement," the national team coach explained.
"When the dates when games will be played here in the Philippines are finalized, we will also schedule our practice time," Uichico added.
Screenshot is from pinoyliga.com Facebook page