THE long hour of travel didn't stop Jordan Clarkson from finally connecting with the Philippine men's basketball team.
Tired and weary, Clarskon still found time to head straight to the the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex Basketball Hall from the airport to see coach Yeng Guiao and the rest of his Filipino teammates hack out a convincing 96-59 beating of Kazakhstan for a rousing opening win in the Jakarta Palembang Asian Games.
Clarkson arrived at the latter part of the third quarter and shortly after the game, the Cleveland Cavaliers guard expressed his desire to finally work with the team.
"I'm really excited that I'm finally getting to do this, being able to play with my team and for my country. It's definitely something I look forward," said the 26-year-old Fil-Am guard, whose family on the mother side hails from Pampanga.
After a few hours of rest, Clarkson got to join his teammates on the court as the PH squad practiced at the Gor Polugadung gym in Jakarta specifically to break out the NBA player into the team system.
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The Filipinos won't be having its next game in the preliminary until Tuesday against China, giving Clarkson just enough time to know his teammates and learn how things are run under Guiao.
"We got three-four days of practice before the next game. So I just come here and learn to get use at how they do things here," he said.
Clarkson who travelled from Los Angeles to Indonesia on short notice following the last-minute clearance he had gotten from both the NBA and the Cavaliers allowing him to play in the Asiad.
He said it was definitely 'a relief' that he was finally given the green light.
"Everything went back and forth many times that I'm going to play and I wasn't going to play," he said of his status which had been uncertain the past few days.
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"Now just being able to participate here is awesome."
The 37-point blowout gave the Philippines a clear window for a berth in the quarterfinals and a shot at topping Group D should it topple China on the 21st. And judging by the way the Filipinos play against the Kazakhs, Clarkson definitely likes what he saw.
"It's really good. It's fast, get up and down, shoot threes, it's a fun style of play," he said.
And against China, which boasts of fellow NBA players in Zhou Qi (Houston Rockets) and Ding Yanyuhang (Dallas Mavericks)?
"It's a big game," said Clarkson of his first official outing with the team. "Actually, every game is a big game. I just come here to compete and try to win every time I step on the floor."(RG)
