RP has back to the wall in FIBA-Asia Champions Cup

MANILA, Philippines - With several big, talented imports headed by a former NBA first round draft pick beefing up the teams’ rosters in the 20th FIBA-Asia Champions Cup, the event, slated May 12-20 in Jakarta, Indonesia, is tipped to be one of the toughest in years.

Priest Launderdale, a 36-year-old 7-4 1996 draft pick by the Alanta Hawks, will reinforce Mahram Iran, the defending champion considered as the team to beat in the nine-day event.

“It will be very, very difficult,” said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Noli Eala.

Iran, the same country Smart Gilas Pilipinas’ Serbian coach Rajko Toroman steered to the 2007 FIBA-Asia Championship in Tokushima, Japan and the 2008 Beijing Olympics, will also parade flashy point guard Amir Amini and a still unidentified Spanish reinforcement.

But focus will be on Lauderdale, who hooked it up with Mahram Tehran BC last year and whose height and heft as well as experience will be his main weapon against a field teeming with talent.

Eala said Lebanon is another team to watch as it will be represented by 19-time Lebanon Basketball Championship titlist Al Riyadi Beirut, all members of the national squad led by the prolific duo of Fadi Al-Khatib and naturalized Joe Vogel plus a tall Serbian import.

Korea, represented by Division II club team Sangmoo, is also expected to contend for the crown on a team built around four sweet shooting national team members while Kuwait is also expected to bring in a tall roster.

“A lot of the teams are bringing in imports who are capable of giving them the crown. They also have the core of their national team and a lot of foreign-bred players,” said Eala.

The Filipinos are grouped with the Iranians, Koreans, Lebanese and the Kuwaitis.

The other bracket is composed of Al Arabi of Qatar, AL Wasil of United Arab Emirates, Zain of Jordan, Young Cagers of India and Satria Muda of Indonesia.

RP did not see action in this prestigious club event last year, a year before an all-pro San Miguel Pilipinas finished fourth after failing to make it to the finale, no thanks to a 77-109 beating at the hands of eventual runner-up Al Jalaa of Syria.

This year, the SBP is fielding in an all-amateur squad composed of the country’s top collegiate players with former Los Angeles Laker CJ Giles as reinforcement.