What to do next?

The Selecta Philippine team is on the brink of elimination in the Samsung Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup and with only a game left in its schedule, coach Joseph Uichico might be wondering what to do in the next seven weeks before the start of the Asian Games in Busan on Sept. 29.

Coca-Cola is the squad’s final adversary in the Commissioner’s Cup and the game is set on Thursday. It doesn’t look like the Fighting 15 will advance to the quarters–an eventuality that sympathizers insist could be a blessing in disguise.

Playing in the PBA hasn’t been a pleasant experience for the nationals. The typical PBA style of posting up to maximize the presence of big imports isn’t suited for international competition where the pace is extremely up-tempo and the accent is constant motion. So you had a tricky situation where Uichico tried to play against the tide, hoping the national team might be able to pick up some lessons along the way.

Fans, of course, expected a lot from the Fighting 15 in the Second Conference. After all, the league’s biggest stars were suited up for the national squad. They were supposed to be the best of the best. But most fans fail to understand that Uichico’s primary goal isn’t to win the Commissioner’s Cup title or qualify for the quarterfinals. There’s a much bigger picture in Uichico’s mind–the picture of going for gold in Busan.

Uichico used the Commissioner’s Cup to slowly work Danny Ildefonso, Andy Seigle, and Noy Castillo back in the groove from a long layoff due to injuries. He used it to experiment on different combinations, keeping in the back of his mind not the opposition in the PBA but the opposition in the Asian Games. Uichico also used it to gauge how much more work had to be done before declaring the team fit and ready for the Busan wars.

How the Fighting 15 fared in the Commissioner’s Cup isn’t a fair reading of how they’ll fare in Busan. So even if the national squad won only three of its first nine games, it shouldn’t trigger an alarm. What should worry Uichico, however, is the national squad’s apparent lack of desire to go all out in some outings. Maybe, it’s because the players treated the games like they were scrimmages. Maybe, they figured it didn’t make sense to fight tooth and nail with Uichico doing all sorts of experimentation. Whatever, there’s no excuse for a lackadaisical attitude. That’s something Uichico must address immediately.

Obviously, the national team can’t be idle for the next seven weeks. The players must be exposed to more games, not just gym sessions. They’ve got to feel the pressure of playing to win, not just playing to stay sharp. An overseas trip–perhaps, to Australia would be perfect. The Australian pro clubs are now in training camp and should provide tough competition for the Philippine squad. Lindsay Gaze has proposed to bring his Melbourne Tigers to Manila for a series of exhibitions–that shouldn’t be ignored.

Another option is to form a practice team to play against and use it to simulate the opposition in Busan. Assistant coaches Allan Caidic and Eric Altamirano could call the shots for the "other" team while Uichico and chief scout Binky Favis could stay with the nationals. Caidic was on a scouting trip to Japan and Altamirano to Korea. Favis accompanied both coaches in those countries and also scouted teams at the Asian Champions Cup in Kuala Lumpur. Favis will scout China and Lebanon at the World Championships in Indiana late this month.

Comprising the practice team could be players from eliminated PBA clubs and orphaned Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) veterans like Romel Adducul, Reynel Hugnatan, and John Ferriols. To beef up the practice team, Uichico could invite imports from eliminated PBA teams.

Uichico could also use the coming days to confer with PBA supervisor of officials Romy Guevarra on how to take advantage of loopholes in the international rules. Guevarra said he’s more than willing to share valuable tips with Uichico–tips that, in close games, could mean the difference between winning and losing.

Then, a week before leaving for Busan, Uichico might consider the national team playing in a best-of-3 series against a PBA All-Filipino selection–no imports, please. Imagine the Fighting 15 going up against a team made up of DaVonn Harp, Marlou Aquino, Willie Miller, E.J. Feihl, Nick Belasco, RenRen Ritualo, Johhny Abarrientos, Vic Pablo, John Arigo, Dorian Pena, Chris Calaguio, and Mark Caguioa.

Since the PBA isn’t thinking of playing an All-Star Game this year, maybe the best-of-3 series could fill in the void.