FIBA exec cites Pinoys’ passion for basketball

MANILA, Philippines - FIBA Director for TV/News Media Rights and English basketball legend Paul Stimpson said the other day the possibility of the Philippines finishing in the magic circle of three at the FIBA-Asia Championships in Manila on Aug. 1-11 will trigger a hoop boom to benefit all cage stakeholders in the country. The first three placers will represent Asia at the FIBA World Cup in Spain next year.

“I work in basketball but I’m a fan, too,” said Stimpson who played 112 international games with the English and UK basketball teams. “On a scale of 1 to 10, I grade the staging of the FIBA-Asia draw in Manila a 9 and that’s because I never give a 10 for anything. It’s the first time in FIBA history that a draw was transformed into a TV show where commentators were in the venue to provide analysis. At the FIBA World Championship draw in Turkey three years ago, the event was covered on TV but the commentary and interviews came later in a studio setting.”

Stimpson said the Filipino passion for basketball is well-known in FIBA. “During the draw, I noticed players from the 1973 Philippine champion team were so warmly received by the audience,” he noted. “I imagine those were incredible times when the Philippines won the FIBA-Asia title in Manila. I think it’s short-sighted that some of the country’s best players are not included in the national team. If they’re injured or recovering from injuries, it’s understandable why they’re not in the pool. To play for the national team is the highest honor for an athlete. Look at the US team with NBA stars. They’re banged up from the NBA but they gather themselves to play in the Olympics or the World Championships. Knowing how passionate the Filipino fans are about basketball, I think they deserve to be represented in the FIBA-Asia Championships by the best players in the country.”

Stimpson said it’s about doing justice to the fans and the game. “I don’t know anything about the politics of basketball in the Philippines,” he added. “All I know is if the Philippines qualifies for the semifinals – and there’s a good chance it will – and goes on to win the title or finish in the top three, it will be quite an achievement. It will benefit everyone involved in basketball in the Philippines from the grassroots to the pro league. It’s been 40 years since Manila hosted the FIBA-Asia Championships so this is a wonderful opportunity to take basketball in the Philippines to a higher level.”

Stimpson said in England, the lack of an infrastructure within which a player is able to progress from school to club is stunting the growth of basketball. “It’s important that a country has local heroes for fans to identify with,” he said. “That’s how I got hooked to basketball. My PE teacher at Glyn Grammar School in Surrey took me to a Crystal Palace club game once and one of the star players came from my school. It opened my eyes to the game and inspired me to play. Because of the lack of a basketball infrastructure, a top English high school player like Daniel Clark moved to Spain to pursue his love of the game at the age of 15. Now he lives in Spain but still plays with the UK national team. But he’s not in England playing. Football, rugby and cricket are the top sports in the UK and there are lots of local heroes in those sports. It’s unlike in the Philippines where the basketball infrastructure is solid.”

Stimpson was in town for the FIBA-Asia Championships draw at the Manila Hotel last Thursday.

Stimpson, 54, said England is fortunate that players like NBA veterans Luol Deng, Joel Freeland, Pops Mensa-Bonsu, Joel Freeland and Robert Archibald suited up for the UK team at the 2012 London Olympics. The host squad posted a 1-4 record, its only win a 90-58 romp over China, and failed to qualify for the knockout stage.

“Basketball is a simple game but sometimes, players make it difficult,” said Simpson. “In England, our best players end up going overseas. We’ve got lots of talent like other countries but that’s not enough. To succeed in basketball, you’ve got to play as a team. Players may be athletic and skilled but it’s important for them to learn to play in a team environment. Steve Bucknall, an English player who went to the NBA, works with our under-19 boys and is doing a good job of teaching kids how to play within the team concept.”

Stimpson said in the NBA Finals this season, he’s picking the San Antonio Spurs to beat the Miami Heat because of coach Gregg Popovich’s ability to harness the talents of his players into a winning formula. “Besides, Tony (Parker) is a good friend of mine,” he said. “I played against his father in the EuroCup many years ago. His father was with the Parker Leiden team of Holland. The team wasn’t named after Tony’s father. It was sponsored by Parker Pen. I also got to play against Robert Archibald’s father Bobby who was with the Scottish national team. Once, in a junior camp in Belgium, I was with a Greek player Panagiotis Giannakis in the same dorm. Giannakis went on to become a basketball legend in Greece and is now the national coach of China.”

Stimpson was only 17 when he joined the Crystal Palace club in the English league in 1976. After hanging up his sneakers in 1990, Stimpson moved to Lucerne to work with the ISL (International Sports Leisure) group that had the TV production rights for FIBA, the World Cup of Soccer, the Olympics and other major events. He joined FIBA full-time in 2003 and is now in charge of FIBA’s TV production all over the world. A humanities major from Borough Road College, Stimpson lives in France across the border from his FIBA office in Geneva with his wife of 29 years, Pat, a St. Vincent native. The Stimpsons have four children – twins Michael and Philip, 27, Richard, 23 and Tamara, 18. Michael is a private fund director in London. Philip teaches physics and coaches basketball. Richard just finished college and is involved in education. Tamara is fresh out of high school and plans to study international hospitality management.