Will Gilas and PBA reunite?

MANILA, Philippines –  The Smart Gilas national basketball team should continue tapping the services of PBA players, when necessary, as in the recent Asian Games but there must be clear-cut guidelines on working together, particularly in terms of preparing for a competition.

That’s how SBP executive director Noli Eala sized up the situation in the wake of Gilas’ sixth place finish in Guangzhou last month. Gilas was reinforced by PBA cagers Asi Taulava, Kelly Williams and Sol Mercado who took a leave of absence from the pro ranks to play in the two-week tournament. The three PBA players missed two games each in the Philippine Cup eliminations to join Gilas.

 “Their presence obviously helped our team,” said Eala. “Their skills can compare with anybody’s in Asia and their experience is invaluable. I think there will always be room for Kelly on the team because of his versatility and athleticism. Against small teams, he can even play the 5-position. My worry is lack of practice time. It’s difficult to pull out PBA players to practice with Gilas during a conference. There’s also the problem of unfamiliarity with the international game. Sol, for instance, had difficulty adjusting at the start in Guangzhou, picking up quick fouls, because FIBA has a different philosophy of the game. The national team will need foreign exposure to improve and I’m not sure how many PBA players can commit to travel with Gilas.”

The SBP and PBA are expected to sort out the terms of reference for the country’s sake.

A drawback in bringing in PBA players is the effect on Gilas regulars as in the case of Dylan Ababou and Aldrech Ramos who were bumped off the Asian Games roster at the last minute.

“Dylan and Aldrech are troupers, they’re nice guys and flexible,” said Eala. “But recruiting PBA players could hurt the Gilas program. Players give up a lot of opportunities, including joining the PBA, to play with Gilas. You sacrifice two years training with Gilas then when the big tournament comes, your spots are taken over by PBA stars. That’s why the terms of reference must be clear from the start so we don’t raise expectations.”

Eala said in Guangzhou, the standouts were J. V. Casio and Marcio Lassiter. Casio averaged 11.9 points in eight games and shot 22 in the Philippines’ 90-68 rout of Qatar in the preliminaries. Lassiter, a Fil-Am from Fullerton State, hit 16 in the 76-69 win over Kuwait and 18 in the 82-73 decision over Chinese-Taipei. Gilas qualified for the quarterfinals where the team was knocked out of contention by South Korea in a 74-66 thriller.

A highlight of the trip to Guangzhou was Filipino sports officials meeting with newly elected FIBA president Yvan Mainimi of France. SBP president Manny Pangilinan, SBP vice chairman Ricky Vargas, POC chairman Monico Puentevella, POC secretary-general Steve Hontiveros and Eala conferred with Mainimi and FIBA secretary-general Patrick Baumann in a high-level breakfast get-together at the Garden Hotel.

 “Mr. Pangilinan expressed an interest to host FIBA international competitions and the possibility of holding the under-17 world championships in 2013 was brought up,” said Eala. “It was mentioned that in the 2018 world championships, FIBA might expand the tournament from 24 to 32 teams, giving the Philippines a better chance to qualify than in the Olympics. The IOC (International Olympic Committee) will keep the limit in the Olympic competition to 12 teams and despite its population, Asia will be allotted only one slot because the goal is to bring in the best in the world.”

Eala said IOC president Jacques Rogge was impressed with the 3-on-3 competition at the recent Youth Olympics in Singapore and in the future, it may be added to the Summer Olympic calendar as an event under basketball.

Eala referred to the 3-on-3 format as a “virgin area” that FIBA may decide to explore. He said the SBP’s 3-on-3 program has generated widespread interest, drawing over 4,000 teams to compete in mall tournaments all over the country.

Eala said two potential Fil-foreign recruits for Gilas are 6-8 Chris Standhardinger of the University of Nebraska and 6-1 Chris Banchero of Seattle Pacific. But there may be a problem with Standhardinger’s eligibility as he played for the German under-20 national team last year. FIBA may not allow Standhardinger to play for another country under the rule of one national team in a lifetime.

Eala said Norman Black will coach the Philippines in the Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia late next year. Players will be in the 18-22 age group, he added. Among those to be invited for tryouts are 6-11 Greg Slaughter, R. R. Garcia, 6-9 Arnold Van Opstal, 6-10 Junmar Fajardo, Jeron Teng and Kiefer Ravena.