"It takes a village to stop him": Karl-Anthony Towns tough to defend says Philippines captain
The Philippine men's basketball team is anticipating a solid performance from Karl-Anthony Towns on Friday night when they take on the Dominican Republic at the start of the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
The Philippines' captain, Japeth Aguilar, admitted that even if his team now has the size to match up with Towns, he remains a thorn in their side.
Backstopping Aguilar, a 6-foot-9 power forward for PBA powerhouse Ginebra, inside the paint for the Philippines are Toyama's 6-foot-10 big AJ Edu, San Miguel's 6-foot-10 center June Mar Fajardo, and seven-foot-three Kai Sotto, who was with the Orlando Magic in the NBA Summer League.
However, Aguilar believes them four could not still be enough to limit the 246-pound Towns.
Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, during Thursday's pre-FIBA Basketball World Cup press conference at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Aguilar said:
"It's not just me or my teammates who would defend him. It really takes a whole village to stop him and even the Dominican Republic."
Towns' ability to spread the floor with his three-point shooting could pose a concern, especially since the Philippines' bigs would have to go outside just to mark him.
According to Aguilar, a lot of in-game adjustments might be needed as well, saying:
"We will find out when the game starts 'coz we can talk about the Xs and Os, but we'll never know when the game starts."
'Perfect game' needed to beat Karl-Anthony Towns, Dominican Republic
Philippines coach Chot Reyes, however, added that a "village" is just part of the potential solution to beat Karl-Anthony Towns and the Dominican Republic.
In a recent practice session, Reyes said that a performance reminiscent of how Villanova stunned Georgetown in the 1985 US NCAA championship game is needed to pull off the upset.
Pertaining to the so-called "The Perfect Game", Reyes said,
“Something like that.”
He also said that he looks forward to seeing his big men play like Philippines legend Ranidel De Ocampo in guarding Towns.
Despite being only 6-foot-6, De Ocampo became known for his tenacious defense while guarding big men taller than him.
The Philippines now has the size, but whether the bigs can limit Towns still remains a question a day before their potentially historic game, which is projected to draw the largest crowd for a FIBA Basketball World Cup game at the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena in Bocaue.