RP 5 ready for war in Jones Cup

LAS VEGAS — National basketball coach Chot Reyes said yesterday the Philippine team will be put to a severe test of endurance by playing nine games in nine straight days at the Jones Cup in Taipei.

Before boarding a Philippine Airlines flight for Manila via Vancouver, Reyes announced that six players from the squad that played five games at the Global Hoops Summit here will suit up for the national team in the annual Taiwan tournament.

The six holdovers are Dondon Hontiveros, Kerby Raymundo, Kelly Williams, Tony de la Cruz, Romel Adducul and Jay-Jay Helterbrand. They will be joined by Asi Taulava, Brandon Cablay, Yancy de Ocampo, Willie Miller, Denok Miranda and Jondan Salvador.

Reyes said several Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) players chosen to play in Taipei were not available. Nic Belasco, for instance, begged off because of the flu when contacted on vacation in Australia. Dorian Peña is in the US. Jimmy Alapag and Mark Caguioa also passed up the chance to play for the team. Mark Telan was due for a tonsillectomy.

Ren-Ren Ritualo strained his left calf muscle during the Global Hoops Summit and was advised by trainer Dennis Aenlle to rest. He would’ve been included in the Jones Cup roster.

A candidate to the lineup was Mac-Mac Cardona, a Philippine Basketball League (PBL) standout like Williams, Miranda and Salvador. The final selection was based on the playing positions left to be filled.

"The competition in Taipei is not going to be easy," said Reyes who will fly to Taipei a few hours after arriving from here. "For the six guys coming from Las Vegas, it’ll be quite a challenge."

Reyes welcomed the addition of Miranda and Salvador into the cast.

"They’ve been diligently attending the practices of the national pool," said Reyes. "They’ll be in the PBA soon anyway. Their participation gives PBA coaches a chance to give them a really close look."

The Philippines plays Qatar at 8:30 tonight to begin its quest for a fourth Jones Cup crown. The first title came when Ron Jacobs piloted Northern Cement to the championship in 1981. Jacobs coached the Philippines, this time carrying the San Miguel Corp. colors, to a second diadem in 1985. Tim Cone steered the Philippines to a third title in 1998.

The Philippines’ other assignments are against Kazakhstan tomorrow, South Korea on Monday, India on Tuesday, Australia on Wednesday, Japan on Thursday, Russia on Friday, Taiwan on Saturday and the USA on Sunday.

The Philippines, Taiwan, India, Kazakhstan, Qatar and South Korea are represented by their national teams. Australia is fielding an Australian Institute of Sports training squad made up of future senior prospects. Japan’s team is composed of under-24 national players. The Samara club is playing for Russia while the Passing Lane Sports team will fly the US colors.

The Philippines got a preview of the US’ capabilities when it played Passing Lane Sports at the just-concluded Global Hoop Summit. Passing Lane Sports, a gathering of American professionals who are managed by three agents, downed the Philippines, 80-71.

Reyes said he hopes the experience gained from the Summit will carry over to Taipei.

"The Summit was a great step up for us," he said. "In the Champions Cup, we played against teams with two imports. At the Summit, we played against teams with all imports. Playing consecutive games on consecutive days simulates the international schedule in FIBA-Asia where teams hardly get any rest time. In Taipei, we’ll be playing nine games in nine days so for six players, it’ll be a grueling grind going back to the Summit."

San Miguel Beer coach Joseph Uichico, also an assistant on the national team, will join Reyes in Taipei.

"The fruits of the lessons we learned in Las Vegas will be seen in two or three years because we’re still a few years down the road," said Reyes. "But we’re getting there. All the components of a long-term plan are in place and with the PBA’s support and the backing of our sponsor San Miguel Corp., we’ll get to where we want to go. We’ve got very young players who’re still developing and maturing."

The benefit of a national pool was evident when several players were unavailable for the Jones Cup.

"We don’t want a structure where we build a team when there’s a tournament to be played," said Reyes. "We’re reversing the process. We’re building a pool of 20 to 24 players, maybe more, who’ll be ready to play for the national team at any time. We’re molding players who’ll know what kind of game we want to play. We’re moving forward and our national team can only get better. We’re playing one system, we’re following the same direction."