After the FIBA-Asia where the Smart Gilas National Team finished fourth, a lot of speculations circulating in the Philippine Basketball Community whether if our quest for the Olympics is over, if Coach Rajko Toroman will return for another stint with the team or will the PBA create a new set of delegations for the 2013 FIBA-Asia.
First and foremost, Manny V. Pangilinan stated in his interview that he and the SBP will continue the program whether it will be on 2013, 2015 or it takes forever t qualify for the Olympics. However, the status of Toroman is still uncertain.
The latest buzz is if Toroman won’t be renewing his contract with Gilas and leave the team, either assistants Chot Reyes or Norman Black will handle the team because of their familiarity with Toroman’s system. But the stronger candidate is Black in which he also handles the RP Team in 2011 SEAG.
Also, the PBA expressed their intentions to help by representing the National Team in international tournaments and very willing to cooperate with the SBP to make things happen.
In my point of view, PBA can be a great help for the National Team but they must limit their involvement for it may disrupt the chemistry and familiarity of the former core of Gilas. And if ever they must not replace Toroman. He successfully brought back the Philippines to the basketball map in Asia and the program must continue in the 2013 FIBA qualifier.
Marcus Douthit maybe 33 or 34 years old during the FIBA qualifier, but he can still be a force to reckon, but he must limit himself to some games to avoid serious injuries. And the idea of having Fajardo, Slaughter, Aguilar and Chiu in the team will help Douthit to lessen some scoring loads in his shoulders.
The idea of having a tall point guard must be the focus right now. JV Casio and Jimmy Alapag are great point guard but they are small compare to other PGs in Asia. Having a 6-5 PG in the mold of Gabe Norwood or Ray-Ray Parks is a good improvement for the team.
To sum it up, I’m against on creating an All PBA Team for the 2013 FIBA Asian qualifier. They can add players to the old Smart Gilas core in order to improve their lineup. They must also retain Toroman for the furnishing of the system, but if he won’t be returning for good, Norman Black can take over. Adding a pure shooter on the team will be a great help (James Yap or Dondon Hontiveros).
