Toroman wary of Syrians

Manila, Philippines - Al Jala’a Aleppo is the road block that Smart Gilas must hurdle to advance to the FIBA-Asia Champions Cup semifinals and coach Rajko Toroman’s unbeaten charges aren’t taking the team lightly particularly as they lost to the same Syrian club in the tournament last year.

Toroman won’t easily forget Gilas’ 83-81 defeat to Al Jala’a in the previous edition of the Champions Cup. Gilas led by 11 at the half and appeared to be in control until a late meltdown. Sharif Al Sharif hit a buzzer-beater to sink Gilas but it was Al Jala’a star Michel George Madanly who did the most damage with 17 points. Al Jala’a wound up sixth and Gilas seventh in the final standings. Sharif isn’t in the Al Jala’a lineup this year but Madanly, a 6-4 sharpshooter, is back.

Another holdover in the Al Jala’a cast is 6-9 Marcelle Yaqqub. Coach Mensur Bajramovic’s imports are NBA veteran Samaki Walker of Louisville and Jamaal Miller of Green River Community College of Auburn, Washington. Other players to watch are 6-0 Rami Merjaneh, 6-5 Sari Papazian, 6-5 Ahamd Haj Ishak, 6-1 Syrian-Greek Johnny Deeb and the seven-foot twin towers Syrian-Brazilian Eder Arjo Gorges and Wissam Yakoub.

Al Jala’a finished fourth in Group B and will face Group A No. 1 Gilas in the knockout quarterfinals tonight. If Gilas wins, it will advance to face the winner of Mahram of Iran-Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia in the knockout semifinals.

But Toroman isn’t thinking beyond Al Jala’a. “Syria won’t be easy (to beat),” said Toroman after Gilas edged Applied Science University (ASU) of Jordan, 76-74, to finish the first round of eliminations with a perfect 4-0 record last Wednesday.

Walker, 35, hasn’t been impressive so far, averaging 9.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 24.3 minutes in four games. In Al Jala’a’s only win over Al Shabab of the United Arab Emirates, he scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds as four teammates hit in twin digits. Fans are still waiting for Walker to explode or at least play like the 6-9 forward did when he earned over $16 Million playing for Dallas, San Antonio, the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami, Washington and Indiana in 10 NBA seasons. Walker played alongside Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and Derek Fisher on the Lakers team that captured the NBA title in 2002 under coach Phil Jackson.

Walker played two years with the Louisville varsity then jumped to the NBA as Dallas’ first round pick in 1996. A highlight of his collegiate career was when he posted a triple double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 11 blocked shots in a 1995 game against Kentucky. He never averaged in double figures in his NBA career and was known as a role player. After leaving the majors, Walker made his way to leagues in Russia, Lebanon, China and South Korea. His first name Samaki means “fish” in Swahili.

Although playing basketball is his occupation, Walker once said football and boxing are his favorite sports with the Dallas Cowboys his favorite sports team.

Al Jala’a’s other import is Miller, a 6-foot guard averaging 12 points in the tournament. A streak shooter, Miller hit at a 20.6 point clip in Mexico, 29.0 in Lebanon, 35.3 in Qatar and 32.6 in Saudi Arabia.

Yaqqub, 34, tallied 23 points in Al Jala’a’s 93-63 romp over Al Shabab. He was a perfect 10-of-10 from the field and sank 3-of-4 free throws. No Syria player has scored more in any game. The only other Al Jala’a player to score at least 20 points in a game is Papazian who netted 20 against Al Rayyan of Qatar in a losing effort last Sunday. Merjaneh, 27, averaged 14.5 points in his last two outings and is Al Jala’a’s designated three-point bomber.

Gorges, 30, and Yakoub, 29, are both seven-footers but play sparingly for Bajramovic, a Bosnia native. Gorges had six points and three rebounds in eight minutes against Al Shabab while Yakoub sat out the action.

A win over Al Jala’a will guarantee Gilas its best finish in the tournament since placing fifth in 2009. The Philippines has won four Champions Cup crowns but the last came with Hapee Toothpaste in 1996. The previous victories were in 1984 with Northern Cement, 1988 with Swift and 1995 with Andok’s. The first Champions Cup was won by the Bayi Rockets of China in 1981.

Al Jala’a’s highest finish in the annual tournament was third in 2006 and 2007.