Toroman expects Korea in Top Five

MANILA, Philippines - Smart-Gilas national developmental basketball team coach Rajko Toroman said the other day Korea may pull a surprise and make it to the semifinals of the FIBA-Asia Championships now going on in Tianjin.

Toroman, who flew to Tianjin with SBP executive director Noli Eala last Tuesday, said he expects Iran, Lebanon, China, Korea and Jordan, not necessarily in that order, to finish in the top five of the 16-team tournament. The Philippines is a long shot, he added, but if coach Yeng Guiao’s troops qualify for the eight-team quarterfinals, anything can happen in the knockout games leading to the finals.

“For sure, Iran and Lebanon will attack China,” he said. “Hamed Haddadi is now much better than he was during the last Asian Championships. He has become a dominant center after playing in the Olympics and the NBA. I don’t think anyone can match up inside with Haddadi. Aside from Haddadi, Iran has one of Asia’s best point guards Mahdi Kamrany and sharpshooter Samad Nakkah Bahrami. Iran might just repeat as Asian champion.”

Without Yao Ming and just getting familiar with new coach Guo Shiqiang, China may not be as competitive as before despite the presence of NBA veterans Yi Jianlian, Wang Zhizhi and Sun Yue. But playing before a homecrowd will be a big advantage.

As for Jordan, Toroman said Portuguese coach Mario Palma is under a lot of pressure to deliver a top three finish and naturalized player Rashiem Wright can’t do it alone. Aside from Wright, Jordan lists seven players with US NCAA credentials, including Enver Soobzokov of California State-San Bernardino (Jimmy Alapag’s alma mater) and Jamal Abu Shamala of the University of Minnesota. Lebanon is another serious title contender with a slew of crack NCAA Division I players, including NBA veterans Jackson Vroman of Iowa State and Matt Freije of Vanderbilt.

But Korea looms as the darkhorse.

In the recent Jones Cup, Korea finished fifth with a 5-3 record, hardly indicative of its potential. The losses were inflicted by Jordan, Lebanon and Taiwan-A. Head coach Hur Jae didn’t show up in Taipei because he was in Las Vegas attending the Korean league import tryouts. Two key players were also not in the Jones Cup. Now, veteran gunner Bang Soon Yung and former NBA center Ha Seung Jin are in uniform in Tianjin.

The Philippines has an axe to grind against Korea and when they face off tonight, expect a war.

In the 1986 Asian Games semifinals, Korea barely beat the Philippines, 103-102, and robbed coach Joe Lipa’s squad of an outright silver medal. A bum call prevented Allan Caidic from going for the winner in the last few seconds. In the 2002 Asian Games semifinals, Korea again edged the Philippines , 69-68, on Lee Sang Min’s buzzer-beating triple. That also robbed coach Joseph Uichico’s team of a sure silver.

Powerade Team Pilipinas assistant coach Kenneth Duremdes was on the Philippine team that lost to Korea in 2002 and now, he’s on the bench looking for revenge. A holdover from Korea’s 2002 Asian Games gold medal team is Bang, a 27-year-old 6-6 forward.

Ha, 24, is a 7-3, 310-pound mastodon who skipped the Jones Cup to rest an injury and is back in harness. In Korea’s 95-74 win over Japan in Tianjin last Thursday, Ha collected 12 points and four rebounds in 14 minutes. Ha played two years for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Korea’s other mainstays are 6-7 half-American Daniel Sandrin (now known as Dong Jun Lee) of Seattle Pacific, 6-7 half-Argentinian Kim Min Soo, 6-9 Kim Joo Sung, 6-4 Yang Hee Jong (who scored 23 against Japan), 6-4 Kang Byung Hyun (who hit 16 against the Philippines in the Jones Cup), 6-6 Oh Se Keun and 6-0 skipper Joo Hee Jung.

A gauge of Korea’s strength was its outstanding performance at the recent East Asian Games in Nagoya where Hur Jae piloted the national team to a perfect record. Korea bagged the crown, trouncing in the process Japan, 68-58, Chinese-Taipei, 86-71, and China, 70-62.

Korea has won two FIBA-Asia titles in 1969 and 1997 compared to the Philippines’ five in 1960, 1963, 1967, 1973 and 1986 (under coach Ron Jacobs). Korea’s last Olympic basketball appearance, its sixth, was in 1996 while the Philippines played in its seventh and last in 1972.

For the Philippines to defeat Korea, Guiao’s defense must be air-tight around the three-point arc and quick in transition. Powerade must put pressure on Korea’s guards and prevent or delay the entry pass to Ha in the interior. More than offense, it is the Philippines’ defense that will be the key to bringing down Korea tonight.