Tough camp ahead for Gilas

MANILA, Philippines - Gilas Pilipinas is staying in the seaside resort town of Palanga during its two-week boot camp in Lithuania but the trip is neither a picnic nor a vacation. Twice-a-day practices await the Philippine national team girding for the FIBA-Asia Championships in Manila on Aug. 1-11 and six games are on tap against Lithuanian squads in a grind that coach Chot Reyes hopes to use as a bonding and training exercise.

The traveling party left Manila last Sunday night for Palanga via Bangkok and Copenhagen. Team manager Butch Antonio estimated a 23-hour journey, including two layovers before touching down at Palanga. Reyes and Antonio head the group which includes assistant coaches Joseph Uichico and Josh Reyes. The 12 players in the delegation are Marcus Douthit, JuneMar Fajardo, Marc Pingris, Jimmy Alapag, Jayson Castro, Gabe Norwood, Jeff Chan, L. A. Tenorio, Ranidel de Ocampo, Larry Fonacier, Gary David and Japeth Aguilar.

Palanga is situated on the Baltic Sea coast in western Lithuania where the Filipino contingent is billeted at the Hotel Vanagupe, described as a five-star conference and spa center.

Late addition Beau Belga applied for a Schengen visa at the Austrian Embassy yesterday morning. Antonio said immediately after Belga obtains his trip clearance, he will take the next available flight to Lithuania which is one of 26 European nations functioning as a single country for international travel purposes with a common visa policy. “I was told to wait for an e-mail advice on my visa,” Belga told The Star.  “If I get the visa in the morning, I’ll leave later that night.  Miss Maureen Tan of the travel agency asked me to be ready to leave as soon as the visa is approved.”

Reyes’ other assistant coaches Norman Black, Ryan Gregorio and Nash Racela will stay in Manila to attend the FIBA-Asia draw on June 6. They will closely monitor developments in the lottery with Reyes on the phone or via an Internet connection.

Gilas will play the European champion Lithuanian national Under-20 team twice and the LSU Baltai club of Kaunas also twice. Other squads set to face Gilas are Tripedas Neptunas and Birstono Jazz Diremta. Coach Kestutis Kemzura, who piloted Lithuania to the bronze medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey, has agreed to conduct clinics for Gilas during the camp. Kemzura, 42, was Russian national coach David Blatt’s long-time assistant and has coached in Italy, Latvia, Russia and Poland. He was reportedly in the short-list of candidates under consideration as the new Chinese national coach.

The Lithuanian national Under-20 team and Neptunas are both coached by Kazys Maksvytis. The mainstays of the Under-20 squad are 6-6 Edgaras Ulanovas, 6-3 Vylenis Cizauskas, 6-10 Edgidejus Mockevicius of Evansville University and 6-9 Tautuydas Sabonis. Lithuania captured the European Under-20 title last year, defeating Greece, 79-43, in the quarters, Serbia, 73-68, in the semis and France, 50-49, in the finals. Ulanovas averaged 14.3 points and 5.4 rebounds in nine games while Cizauskas 12.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists. Sabonis was born in Spain and is the son of Lithuanian hoop legend and NBA veteran Arvydas. He holds dual Spanish-Lithuanian citizenship. In the Spanish league this season, Sabonis averaged 7.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in 31 games with Clinicas Rincon.

Neptunas has an average height of 6-5 and average age of 21.5 years. Mainstays include 5-11 Rashaun Broadus of Brigham Young University, 5-11 Evaldas Dainys and 6-9 Laurynas Mikalauskas. LSU Baltai was founded in 1993 and is a six-time runner-up in the Lithuanian league. Coach is Darius Dikcius. Average height is 6-6 and average age is 22. LSU Baltai’s Mutt and Jeff combination consists of 5-11 Mindaugas Stasys and 7-1 Tomas Urbonas. 

Birstono Jazz Diremta is coached by Marius Kiltinavicius. Key players are 6-9 Nigerian Azeez Oladimeji, 6-11 Audrius Ramunaitis and 6-10 Evaldas Tviraga.