The Future of our National Team

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).

Team Pilipinas: Moving on to the next level

The FIBA-Asia has ended. China already gained a spot for the London Olympics, while Jordan and Korea will move to the next wild card phase round to face the other teams from Europe and America. The Smart Gilas earned fourth place and it is one of the best finishes made by our National Team for years.

So, what is the next move of the SBP? The best thing is to move on to the next level.
The system of Coach Rajko Toroman is one of the best systems ever applied to a National Team (but still I would prefer the style of Jaworksi when he handled the 1990 RP Team) but as we observed in the recent tournament, the rotation of the players is very predictable for the opposing team. Obviously, Marcus Douthit will be the center of our offense, and other than him, only Jimmy Alapag and Kelly Williams is capable of scoring for the team. Lutz and Lassiter is the main defensive weapon of the team and scoring for the team is their second priority. Asi Taulava is not the Asi we used to see in the past international scene, maybe old age is catching him up. Japeth Aguilar is not a major factor for the team because Rajko won’t allow him to play especially in close games. And one of the major problems for the team is the lack of shooter (opposing teams might be thankful because Allan Caidic is already retired).

Now what will be the next step for the National Team? The next FIBA-Asia is on 2013, and we still have 3 more years to prepare for the next battle. Here are some key points to consider in building up the next National Team:

1. Search for another “Marcus Douthit”

By 2013, Marcus will be 33 years old. He might be slow down by injuries and old age might catch him up. It’s better for us to find a replacement in the age bracket of 23 – 27 years old.

2. Proper training for our “BIGS”

We have Junmar Fajardo, Gian Chiu, Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar as our big men to be inserted in the new NT lineup. Proper training will be a good move for them and we will be able to match the “towers” of other teams.

3. Good selection of players

I admire the inclusion of Lutz and Lassiter in the Gilas team because they provide the intense defensive attacks to the other teams. I hope in the next lineup Lutz and Lassiter might be included again.

Other notable names for the next NT are Kiefer Ravena (much improved version of Chris Tiu), Ray Parks,Calvin Abueva, Aldrech Ramos, Fil-Ams Stanley Pringle (very versatile player), Chris Banchero, Keith Jansen and Stanhardinger (6-8 Fil-German).

in 2013, the hopes are high again and the support for the NT will keep on flowing.

Mabuhay ang Team Pilipinas!

Thank you SMART GILAS!

Once and for all, I would like to congratulate Smart Gilas for being the Top 4 teams in the FIBA-Asia. Although they lost a potential silver medal against Jordan, still I am very proud of the accomplishments of Coach Rajko Toroman and the Gilas boys.

I remembered the last time when they formed the Smart Gilas, I was so disappointed on the selection of the players for the team. Some Fil-Ams were included in the line-up like Chris Lutz and Marcio Lassiter, which for me is still unknown players then (maybe because I’m not interested to look for their stats and Lutz and Lassiter even played more heart than other players requested to play for the team), another thing is the naturalization of Marcus Douthit. For me, it’s an insult to naturalize a player from another country in which we have Junmar Fajardo and Greg Slaughter to fill Marcus’ shoes. (But the way Marcus played this FIBA Asia, he is a Filipino at heart)

But it’s all easier said than done…

Coach Rajko said to conquer their goal “London 2012”, their current line-up which composed of several amateur players like Casio, Tiu, Baracael, Barocca, Ababou and Ballesteros is not enough to realize their goal. That’s why he asked the PBA and PBA teams to lend their players to play for the team. However, only MVP teams cooperate and actually lend their players for the Gilas team (I salute Jimmy Alapag, Ranidel de Ocampo, Kelly Williams and Asi Taulava). Also, he asked Junmar Fajardo and other collegiate players to play for the team, but UAAP and NCAA won’t allow their players because the collegiate championship is more prioritized than playing for the flag.

In the current FIBA-Asia, we actually saw our national team played their hearts out in order to conquer their goal. Although the height advantage is very evident during games, the players never… as in never backed down against giant teams in Asia.

Now, if we able to snatch a win against Korea, there is a very slim chance to qualify for the London Olympics, in which we will face other teams from Europe and America in the wild card phase for the remaining slots for the Olympics.

To those critics who said that Gilas project is a failure, think again twice. From rank number 9, we climb up to rank number 4. This is considered as an accomplishment for the team already. We all know all project has its flaws but we can fixed that flaw in the future. So please stop blaming the Gilas team for they didn’t match their expectations. If we feel sorry for the lost, how much worse they’re feeling right now?

Thank you again Smart Gilas for bringing back the basketball glory in our country.

Let’s hope that the next Gilas team will be as formidable as the current team today.

Let us support the Philippine basketball!