An opponent as lethal as, if not deadlier than, South Korea will be Gilas Pilipinas’ first test Tuesday as the men’s basketball competition in the 19th Asian Games kicks off at Hangzhou, China.

The Philippines faces Bahrain, powered by former PBA import Wayne Chism and a slew of trigger-quick snipers, at 1:30 p.m. at the Hangzhou University gym.

Next up for the Nationals are Thailand and ex-UCLA Bruin Tyler Lamb on September 28, and Jordan, with current TNT Giga import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, on September 30.

Gilas coach Tim Cone had earlier expressed concern about what the Bahrainis had accomplished during the Asian Qualifiers.

“Bahrain is someone we really should consider, they’re a sleeper team right there,” said Cone after morning practice at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna last week.

“They’ve got a Spanish coach, they swept through the qualifiers, they beat Kazakhstan by 30 points, they beat Indonesia by 25, so they’re a team to reckon with right now. We think they’re the sleeper.”

A sleeper team, according to the internet, “has some game, but due to various flaws in its overall makeup, it is not expected to go far, although it could.”

Cone said the Gilas coaches are trying to get as much information on the Bahrain team, which would allow the Nationals “to be ready for them” when they meet on opening day of the competition.

“We don’t want to get bushwhacked in that first game, so we have to make sure we’re ready to go,” Cone added.

Richard del Rosario, Cone’s first assistant, put names and faces behind a couple of Bahrain’s top gunners.

“They have a starting point guard named Mosti Rashed, who is a 46 percent 3-point shooter,” said Del Rosario just before the team’s film viewing Monday noon at the Park Hyatt Hotel.

“And a 6-foot-6 forward, Mazumil Hamooda, who is just as deadly and also a very good ball-handler. Practically everybody can shoot from the outside,” he added. “They’re a 40-plus percent three-point shooting team.”

Gilas’ tuneup game against the Changwon LG Sakers of South Korea on Saturday at the Philsports Arena, Del Rosario feels, will go a long way in the Nationals’ Asiad campaign, especially when they come across teams anchored on long distance bombs.

In front of a packed lower box section, Gilas won 86-81, but got a taste of Korea’s hallmark shooting (12 triples) and shutter-fast ball and player movement.

Gilas team practice was scheduled Monday at 2 p.m. after film viewing.

Present during the team meeting were PBA chairman Ricky Vargas, PBA vice chairman Bobby Rosales, PBA commissioner Willie Marcial and Gilas team manager Alfrancis Chua, San Miguel sports director.

“You need to impact the game defensively, that’s your primary role out there,” Cone told the assembled players. “The offense will take care of itself, as long as we move the ball well.

“We gotta come out and make them miss their threes, otherwise we’re gonna be very vulnerable. If we can’t get off with this one, we’re not gonna get off with anybody.”

Del Rosario didn’t make it any clearer what kind of team Gilas is up against.

“They are a team of shooters coming here, and we have a very small margin of error against them,” he said. “Don’t take anything for granted. We need to take care of business here.”

ASIAN GAMES MEN’S BASKETBALL

Group A: Iran, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, UAE

Group B: China, Lebanon, Chinese-Taipei, Mongolia

Group C: Philippines, Jordan, Bahrain, Thailand

Group D: Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Qatar

Gilas Pilipinas schedule:

September 26: Philippines vs Bahrain (1:30 p.m.)
September 28: Philippines vs Thailand (11 a.m.)
September 30: (Philippines vs Jordan (5:30 p.m.)