Pistons scout in hunt for Pinoy star

DETROIT—The scout who brought Turkish center Mehmet Okur to the Detroit Pistons is on the lookout for a Filipino teenaged "stud" whom he hopes to develop into a National Basketball Association (NBA) player.

Tony Ronzone, the Pistons director of international scouting, told The Star recently his dream is to become the first agent to enlist a Filipino cager for the NBA. There’s a reason why.

Ronzone, 39, was previously married to a Filipina, Liwayway Ledesma of Davao, with whom he has two children. He has taken at least 10 trips to the Philippines and has fond memories of his visits.

In 1989, Ronzone played on the Los Angeles Jaguars squad with Sean Chambers in a Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) invitational tournament.

"I love the Philippines," he said. "I remember going to Mayon volcano and drinking San Miguel beer. I remember Norman Black, Tim Cone and that popular guy who became a politician, Robert Jaworski. The PBA is a very competitive league with a lot of great players and imports like Billy Ray Bates."

Ronzone said he heard there’s a 5-3 guard Karlo Villanueva playing for the University of British Columbia in the PBA Fiesta Conference quarterfinals. "I wonder if he’s any good," he mused. "I read about him in the internet."

Ronzone said he’s interested to scout players in their teens. "More like 18 or 19-year-old studs, no older," he mentioned. "They could be big or small. I’m looking for outstanding Filipino players. I want to see a Filipino playing in the NBA."

Ronzone is in his third season scouting for the Pistons and works closely with the team’s president of basketball operations Joe Dumars. He is credited for bringing international stars Okur, Zeljko Rebraca and Darko Milicic to Detroit.

Before joining the Pistons, Ronzone worked for the Dallas Mavericks. He is a member of the Olympic committee of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). A former University of Nevada and Long Beach State varsity guard, Ronzone played as an import in New Zealand, Australia and Italy.

As a coach, Ronzone has paid his dues in New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and China. In 2001, he coached the Chinese national squad, led by Yao Ming, to the East Asian Games championship.

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Former PBA import Tremaine Fowlkes averaged 1.2 points in 36 games for the Detroit Pistons this past regular season. He’s the 13th man in the roster. Since teams are allowed to list only 12 players for the playoffs, Fowlkes was left out.

"Sure, I’m disappointed I’m not playing in the Finals," said Fowlkes. "But I’m still under contract. I’m still on the team. I practice with the guys. It just makes me more determined to work harder next season."

Fowlkes, 27, is a 6-7, 208-pound forward who played at the University of California and Fresno State. In 1999, he saw action in two games for Pop Cola in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, averaging 24 points, 10 rebounds and two steals under coach Norman Black.

Fowlkes averaged 16.7 points and 5.8 rebounds for the Columbus Riverdragons in the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) in 2001-02 and earned All-league first team honors. He went on to play two years for the Los Angeles Clippers then was signed by the Pistons.

"I’m just blessed to be a part of all this," said Fowlkes referring to the Finals experience. "Coach (Larry) Brown is a great teacher and I’m learning a lot from him. Just playing with guys like Rip (Hamilton) at practice is teaching me how to play better and harder. It’s all about playing team ball."

Fowlkes said he enjoyed his brief stay in the Philippines. "If I get a chance to play in the Philippines again, I’d love to," he added.

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Ageless Los Angeles assistant coach Tex Winter said the triple-post or triangle offense remains a key element in the Lakers system even as he admitted with the arrival of Karl Malone and Gary Payton, the team has occasionally resorted to screen-rolls and isolations.

"It’s there," said Winter. "We’re still doing the triangle and I hope my good friend Tim Cone is still using it for Alaska in the PBA."

Winter, who conducted basketball clinics in Manila a few years ago, said in the Finals, the Lakers will rely on complementary or role players to back up Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

"The essence of the triangle is to get everyone moving, everyone involved, looking for the open man, breaking down the defense until you find the good look," he said. "We’re not just about Shaq and Kobe. We want everyone on the team to be on the same page."

Winter, in his fifth year as Phil Jackson’s assistant at Los Angeles, conceived the triangle offense which has won nine of the last 13 NBA titles for Jackson. He is in his 57th consecutive season as a coach on either the Division I collegiate or professional level.

Winter began his coaching career in 1947 after graduating at the University of Southern California which is Ron Jacobs’ alma mater. Aside from playing varsity basketball, Winter was a crack pole vaulter who once cleared 14 feet and four inches with a bamboo pole. In 1952, he became the youngest major college coach ever when he took the Marquette job at 28.

Winter was a head coach of the San Diego, now Houston, Rockets before joining the Chicago Bulls’ coaching staff as an assistant in 1985. Jackson credits much of his coaching success to Winter and they’ve been a pair since the Michael Jordan dynasty era.

"I enjoyed my visit to Manila and I made many Filipino friends whom I hope to visit again someday soon," said Winter. "Before I forget, coach Chot (Reyes) left me a Payton card for me to get him to sign. It’s under a stack of things on my desk. I hope to find it one day and send it to Chot."