RP dribblers face tall odds

SINGAPORE – Drawing an opening day bye, the RP cagers spent the day watching the 3-on-3 competitions at the Scape Youth Space courts here yesterday, particularly the Virgin Islands-South Africa match.

And coach Mon Jose liked what he saw.

“They are athletic and have two shooters. But we can match up with them since they are not as tall as the other teams,” said Jose, referring to the Virgin Islands squad, which they would face in their Youth Olympic Games debut today.

The Virgin Islands, drawing 10 points each from 5-8 Kadeem Jones and 6-1 Rasheed Swanston, came away with a big 28-12 rout over a smaller RSA side.

The two 6-5s of Virgin Islands – Javier Martinez and Amadius der-Weer – didn’t pose much threat, at least against the South Africans.

“We really expect to face tough games against taller opponents but there is always a chance,” said Jose, whose wards’ average ceiling is 6-2.

Cris Tolomia is listed at 5-11, Jeron Teng at 6-1, Michael Pate at 6-2 and Bobby Ray Parks at 6-5.

It is indeed a tall order for the RP team, which needs to win two games against taller rivals to advance to the quarters.

The Pinoy cagers also need to make some adjustments following a series of changes in the games rules.

The format now is two periods of five minutes and the shot clock will now be just 10 seconds instead of the previous 14. Also, after making a basket, there is no need for a baseline inbound.

“There are some rules different from the Asian Youth Games last year but we will give it our best shot. We’ll try to surprise other teams and pull off some upsets,” said Jose.

He added: “The three players can be anywhere in the court so it’s a big man’s game now.”