Powerade RP faces daunting task in Tianjin

TAIPEI – Powerade Team Pilipinas faces its moment of truth in less than two weeks in Tianjin, China, hoping to overcome old Asian rivals and emerging Middle Eastern powers to gain a return stint to global basketball in Turkey next year.

Coach Yeng Guiao and his chargers, probably the last all-pro team to compete in an international meet, leave for Tianjin on Aug. 3 eyeing a finish inside the Top 3 to make the grade for the 2010 World Championship.

The task is daunting, to say the least, with Korea’s fearsome gunners, Japan’s gung-ho crew, the Arab behemoths and China’s Wang Zhizhi and Yi Jinglian standing on the way.

These are teams seasoned by non-stop participation in international wars, compared to the RP squad which was assembled only last November and trained under limited parameters.

In fact, the team, composed of Asi Taulava, Mick Pennisi, Japeth Aguilar, Sonny Thoss, Kerby Raymundo, Gabe Norwood, Jarred Dillinger, Arwind Santos, Cyrus Baguio, James Yap, Willie Miller and Jayjay Helterbrand, have played together only 16 games in all in preparation for the Tianjin joust.

The Nationals faced a lowly Australian selection in a two-game exhibition series, played three games in the PBA All-Star festivities then warmed up in the SEABA championship in Medan, Indonesia before getting the real tests in the Jones Cup in Taipei.

The Jones Cup was an eye-opener, giving the Nationals hints of what to expect in the Asian meet.

It’s a given that China would be the top choice in Tianjin. The Arab teams, particularly Iran, Jordan and Lebanon, showed here they would be forces to reckon with.

RP-Powerade was a little fortunate it found itself in a lighter grouping with Korea, Japan and Sri Lanka in the initial round of eliminations under the new Fiba-Asia format.

The Philippines, Korea, Japan and Sri Lanka are also practically bracketed with Group B composed of Iran, Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan and Kuwait. The top four in A-B bracket advance to the playoff stage versus qualifiers from the C-D cluster.

China, Jordan, Lebanon and Qatar are the teams likely to emerge the top four in the C-D group, and each one could well be a tough foe for the Philippines in the quarterfinals.

“Our initial goal is to make the quarters. Our immediate concerns are Korea and Japan. Saka na natin pagiisipan ang ibang teams. We’ll find a way how to compete with the big Arab teams once we’re there (quarters) already,” said Guiao.

The Nationals have sized up the Koreans and the Japanese in the Jones Cup, and the national coach is confident that the team can compete with them.

“I think we have more than 50 percent chance of beating Japan. Against Korea, it’s 50-50,” said Guiao.

The Philippines and Korea, old rivals in Asian meets, had their last collision in the Busan Asian Games in 2002 with the Filipinos suffering a heart-breaking loss on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Lee Sang Min.

In the same tourney, the Philippines topped Japan with the Filipinos stopping Japanese star Takehiko Orimo down the stretch. Orimo, at 39, is still a key member of the current Japanese team.

Taulava and Pennisi are holdovers from the 2002 RP team. Raymundo, Norwood and Helterbrand are returning for their second Asian championship stints while the rest are newcomers in international play.

RP-Powerade had some bad breaks with Kelly Williams downed by a blood disorder problem and Ryan Reyes hounded by a hamstring injury.

Williams, the 2008 PBA MVP awardee, should have been a key front court material and Reyes a potential lead point guard.

Still, Filipino coaches are hopeful the Nationals can have a shot at making the Top 3, paving the way for the Philippines’ return at the world meet for the first time in over three decades.

The Philippines last saw action in the world championship when the country hosted the event in Manila in 1978. The team, mentored by Nic Jorge, was bannered by Ramon Cruz, Botchok Launchengco, Padim Israel, Joy Carpio and Steve Watson.

“We have the talent. The players just have to get used to the system being run by coach Yeng,” said coach Jong Uichico, now well familiar in international competitions being the head coach of the RP team to the Busan Asiad and part of the teams that played in the 1994 Hiroshima Asiad and the 1997 Tokushima Fiba-Asia tourney.

“Our prayers are with the players as they compete in Tianjin. We’ll be behind them 100 percent,” said PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios.

Barrios said this could well be the PBA’s last participation in international meet since the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas has put in place its program for the national team.