Gilas to release players for PBA draft

MANILA, Philippines - National basketball team coach Rajko Toroman said the other day that Smart Gilas players will be allowed to apply for the coming PBA draft on condition they remain available for the FIBA-Asia Championships in Wuhan, China, on Sept. 15-25.

The PBA has reportedly been informed of the possibility of the Gilas cagers applying for the draft and the condition of playing in Wuhan. There appears to be no problem in the PBA agreeing to the condition because of national interest.

Gilas players Greg Slaughter, J. R. Cawaling and Aldrech Ramos, however, will not apply for the draft because they are committed to play for their schools in the next UAAP season. Another cager Japeth Aguilar was drafted first overall two years ago and is on loan to Gilas from Talk ‘N’ Text.

It’s not certain if Gilas skipper Chris Tiu will apply for the draft. A source said he is being tapped to spearhead the family business in China. But the same source said he may stay on to play for the national team.

Toroman said he won’t hold back the Gilas players from turning pro and making basketball their career. “We want to give them the opportunity to grow as professional players,” said Toroman who turned 56 last Thursday. “I think we will end this chapter of Gilas after we play in the FIBA-Asia Championships and if we’re lucky, the London Olympics. Then, it’s the turn of the next generation to play for Gilas with guys like Kiefer Ravena and Ray Parks.”

With the Gilas influx in the PBA draft, Toroman said the rookie harvest will be rich. Among the Gilas cagers expected to apply are J. V. Casio, Marcio Lassiter, Chris Lutz, Mac Baracael, Mark Barroca, Dylan Ababou and Jason Ballesteros. Collegiate standouts Junmar Fajardo, Paul Lee and Eric Salamat are also in line to turn pro.

Only the winner of the FIBA-Asia Championships will gain an outright ticket to the London Olympics. The second and third placers will get a chance to vie for three wildcard slots in a 12-team Olympic qualifying tournament next year. Toroman said it’s easier to win the FIBA-Asia title than to clinch a wildcard slot in the qualifying tournament that will involve countries from Europe, the Americas, Africa and Australasia. In the 2008 Olympic qualifying tournament in Athens, Asia was represented by Korea and Lebanon with both teams winless in two games to bow out in the first round of eliminations. The three countries that bagged the wildcard tickets to Beijing were Croatia, Greece and Germany. Lebanon was beaten by Greece and Brazil while Korea lost to Slovenia and Canada.

Toroman said he hopes to recruit five PBA players for the FIBA-Asia Championships and they’ll probably come from teams owned by PLDT chairman Manny V. Pangilinan. The candidates are Meralco’s Asi Taulava and Jimmy Alapag, Kelly Williams, Ryan Reyes and Ranidel de Ocampo of Talk ‘N’ Text.

“It will mean a lot of sacrifice from the PBA players joining Gilas,” said Toroman. “It will also mean a lot of sacrifice from their PBA teams. So that I think it will be easier to tap players from Mr. Pangilinan’s teams. Jimmy is a perfect fit for us with his leadership, quickness, playmaking and scoring. Ryan is an all-around player with a lot of character and spirit. Kelly’s defense and rebounding are outstanding while Ranidel gives us toughness, rebounding and scoring inside and outside. Asi has experience and is a dominant inside player who’s a solid backup for Marcus (Douthit). We’re hoping the PBA players can stay with us for three months. They’ll be with Gilas when we play in the PBA third conference. They’ll play in the FIBA-Asia Championships in September then go back to their mother clubs in October. They won’t have much of a rest all year round. It’ll be a big sacrifice for them.”

Toroman said Aguilar, recovering from an injury, will suit up for Gilas in the PBA second and third conferences. Whether he’ll be in the roster for the FIBA-Asia Championships depends on his performance in the PBA.

Playing in the PBA is a challenge and Toroman said there’s no backing down. “It’s a challenge for all of us,” he said. “For the players, it’s their chance to prove they deserve to play for the country.”

Toroman said the time has come for Gilas to produce results. “It’s no longer about a program, now it’s about performance,” he said. “Contracts are expiring this year. We’ve got to show results in the FIBA-Asia Championships. If we don’t qualify outright for London, we still have a chance in the qualifying tournament but that’s a more difficult route.”