Did Chot hold back?

Barako Bull coach Rajko Toroman watched the Philippines-Kazakhstan game with Serbian countryman Sasa Nikitovic at the Araneta Coliseum last Friday and noticed signs of coach Chot Reyes holding back even as Gilas won, 92-89. Nikitovic is in town to coach Bahrain during the 27th FIBA-Asia Championships to be played at the MOA Arena and Ninoy Aquino Stadium starting Thursday. Earlier that day, Toroman and Nikitovic were on opposite benches as Barako Bull beat Bahrain in an exhibition game.

“I think we lacked balance in our offense,” noted Toroman. “We went to Marcus (Douthit) inside only in the last few plays. With Marcus more aggressive, we’ll have a good inside-outside attack. It was a good tune-up for Gilas with an excellent result against a top-caliber team. Kazakhstan is greatly improved with a new Italian coach (Matteo Boniciolli). They lacked discipline before but now, they play together with a system. They’re a very dangerous team in FIBA-Asia.”

At the 2007 FIBA-Asia Championships, Toroman recalled playing against Kazakhstan when he coached Iran. In the semifinals, Iran beat Kazakhstan, 75-62, and went on to take the crown, defeating Lebanon, 74-69, in the finals. Kazakhstan settled for fourth place after losing an 80-76 decision to South Korea in the battle for bronze. Anton Ponomarev, a 6-11 do-it-all standout, paced the Kazakhs with 16 points and six rebounds in the playoff.

To prepare for the coming tournament, Boniciolli brought Kazakhstan to Italy and Slovenia for training. In 2002, Kazakhstan slipped by the Philippines to bag the basketball bronze medal at the Asian Games and the bitter setback is still a sore wound with Filipino fans. If Gilas makes it to No. 1 out of Groups A-B and Kazakhstan winds up No. 4 out of Groups C-D, they’ll face off in the knockout quarterfinals for a slot to the semifinals and two chances to claim a ticket to the FIBA World Cup in Spain next year.

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Douthit is Gilas’ premier big man but he obviously didn’t show his total array of moves last Friday. He attacked mostly from the outside. Twice, he was called for turnovers posting up. Kazakhstan didn’t bother to double Douthit at the low block because Boniciolli has more than enough size and bulk to provide single coverage. Perhaps, Reyes held back on Douthit’s inside game to keep opposing scouts guessing. When Gilas played the PBA Select last Wednesday, Douthit logged only 15 1/2 minutes and collected 11 points and five rebounds.

What Gilas unraveled against Kazakhstan was its quickness at the guard position. Jayson Castro repeatedly drove in to score, beating the Kazakhs’ rim protectors to the draw. Jimmy Alapag was deadly from the floor and even connected on a four-point play. L.A. Tenorio wasn’t much of a factor, contributing a quiet five points, but if he plays anywhere near his level at the Jones Cup last year, the Ginebra star will be unstoppable when the tournament unfolds.

Another bright spot was Gilas’ outside shooting. Jeff Chan buried six triples and Larry Fonacier rifled in 14 points. Gary David struggled and shot only 1-of-8 field goals but will bounce back. Reyes made sure there were gunners on the floor in every play because outside shooting is an integral part of the international game. Even Japeth Aguilar got into the act and knocked down a trey.

Marc Pingris’ toughness as a defender was evident as Reyes tapped him to shadow Ponomarev after the Kazakh erupted for 14 points in the second period. With Pingris on the lock-down job, Ponomarev was scoreless in the third quarter and netted only two points in the fourth. Kazakhstan had a final crack at knotting the count as time ran out but Ponomarev threw up a triple air ball with Pingris preventing an open look.

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Reyes’ rotation was rhythmic and on cue. Because the tournament format requires almost daily games, bench is a critical factor. Against Kazakhstan, Reyes drew 44 points from his reserves compared to the Kazakhs’ 32. Castro and Alapag, Talk ‘N’ Text’s backcourt Awesome Twosome, combined for 32 of those 44 points. Boniciolli relied on Johnson, Ponomarev and Dmitriy Klimov most of the way as the three players logged at least 30 minutes apiece. Burly Mikhail Yevstigneyev was a target of catcalls because of his rough play and if he plays in control, could be a problem. He finished with nine points and five rebounds before fouling out in 12:57 minutes of action.

Gilas also took better care of the ball, picking up only seven turnovers to Kazakhstan’s 13. In beating the PBA Select last Wednesday, Gilas was assessed 21 errors and had less turnover points, 20-10. But Gilas had more rebounds, 50-38, and hit a higher clip from the floor, 47 percent to 36.

For the first time in its international basketball history, Kazakhstan recruited an American import Jerry Jamar Johnson as a naturalized citizen. The six-foot Johnson makes up for his lack of ceiling with incredible speed and shooting ability. Toroman said Johnson’s floater is tough to stop just as Tony Parker’s version is. Additionally, Johnson is a precision facilitator, compiling eight assists to go with 17 points last Friday. How to defend Johnson is a challenge. A bigger man will be slower and a smaller man will be outworked. Gabe Norwood is used to playing small point guards but Reyes opted to rotate Tenorio, Castro and Alapag on Johnson. Maybe, it will be different if the teams meet each other in the knockout quarterfinals.

Last Friday’s game showed that Gilas has to work harder on rebounding and defense. Kazakhstan dominated the boards, 39-26, and shot 55 percent from the floor, 11-of-29 from three-point distance. It’s not likely that Gilas will beat a China or Iran team that controls the glass and shoots 55 percent from the field. Gilas must do a better job off the boards and contesting shots to make the dream trip to Spain a reality.