Home edge, better grouping to boost Gilas

MANILA, Philippines - There are positive signs that seem to show promise for at least a third place finish for the Philippines at the 27th FIBA-Asia Championships here on Aug. 1-11. After losing to Beirut in a bid to host the tournament, Manila was tapped to take over when civil unrest swept the Lebanese capital late last year. It was a case of force majeure that brought the FIBA-Asia joust back to Manila after a 40-year absence. And to add to the country’s luck, highly-touted Lebanon was suspended by FIBA for political interference, leaving Gilas one less tough team to tackle in the run-up to the knockout quarterfinals.

Gilas coach Chot Reyes also welcomed the news that Jordan veterans Zaid Abbas, Sam Daghles and Rasheim Wright aren’t around to make life difficult, NBA draftee Arsalan Kazemi is not in the Iran lineup and several teams are treading on untested waters with new coaches and new naturalized players.

But the first stroke of luck was like manna from heaven. With Manila hosting the event, Gilas not only gained the crucial homecourt advantage but also the right to choose its bracket in the draw. Reyes chose Group A with Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Chinese-Taipei. That means Gilas will play those three countries in the first round of eliminations. The last placer of the group is struck out of contention after three games. The survivors then move on to play Japan, Qatar and Hong Kong from Group B. Lebanon would’ve been in Group B. FIBA-Asia secretary-general Hagop Khajirian ruled no replacement for Lebanon, in effect giving the three Group B contenders a free ride into the second round.

Reyes justified his choice by explaining that Gilas has a better chance of finishing first or second in Groups A-B than if it played in Groups C-D. Group C is made up of China, Iran, South Korea and Malaysia while Group D lists Kazakhstan, India, Thailand and Bahrain. In the knockout quarterfinals, the top four of Groups A-B battle the top four of Groups C-D in reverse order of finish to determine the crossover pairings so that No. 1 faces No. 4 and No. 2 takes on No. 3. Reyes said if Gilas winds up first in Groups A-B, it will meet No. 4 in Groups C-D in the knockout quarterfinals, avoiding either China or Iran in an early do-or-die confrontation. China and Iran are expected to finish one or two out of Groups C-D. Likely to rank No. 4 in Groups C-D is Kazakhstan. If Gilas picked Group D, it would probably place third or even fourth in Groups C-D, meaning a knockout quarterfinal match against No. 1 or No. 2 in Groups A-B which could be Qatar or Jordan. Reyes would rather face Kazakhstan than Qatar or Jordan in the knockout quarterfinals.

Staging the FIBA-Asia Championships has become a rarity for Manila which is unbeaten in the two previous tournaments it hosted in 1950 and 1973. The Philippines was bannered by Robert Jaworski, Manny Paner, Francis Arnaiz, Jimmy Mariano, Yoyong Martirez, Ramon Fernandez, Joy Cleofas, Abet Guidaben, Rogelio Melencio, Bogs Adornado, Big Boy Reynoso and Dave Regullano when Manila hosted in 1973. And the last Philippine team to win the title was coached by Ron Jacobs in 1985-86 with a lineup that included Hector Calma, Allan Caidic, Samboy Lim, Jeff Moore and Dennis Still.

So far, the Philippines has won five FIBA-Asia (formerly known as the Asian Basketball Confederation) championships in 24 appearances. China is by far the runaway leader with 15 titles in 19 tournaments since 1975. Held once every two years, the FIBA-Asia Championships are the zone qualifiers for either the Olympics or World Cup which are both staged every four years. In the current cycle, the 27th FIBA-Asia Championships will qualify the top three finishers to the FIBA World Cup in Spain next year.

At the last FIBA-Asia conclave in Wuhan two years ago, the Philippines barged back into the semifinals for the first time since 1987. The Philippines has not tasted a podium finish in 28 years. At least a third place ending will break the long wait and return the country to the FIBA World Championships after 35 years.

The man responsible for putting the Philippines back in a position to reclaim Asian glory is Samahang Basketbol Ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Manny V. Pangilinan. It was MVP who answered the patriotic call to head the new National Sports Association for basketball in the wake of a widespread clamor to disenfranchise the discredited Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) in 2008. With support from the Philippine Olympic Committee, the SBP arose from the BAP’s ashes to gain FIBA recognition and lead the way out of a two-year suspension from international competition.

MVP was given a fresh four-year mandate as SBP president last December and it signaled the advent of good news beginning with Manila hosting the FIBA-Asia Championships. SBP executive director Sonny Barrios said MVP’s inspiring leadership was the key to eventually convincing FIBA-Asia to award the hosting rights to Manila.

With the stage set for battle, Gilas now has to step up and take the bull by the horns. It’s a daunting challenge to bag the title before home fans but Reyes said he’ll gladly cope with the pressure of winning here than on the road.

What makes the tournament intriguing is the presence of new faces. China is now coached by Greek legend Panagiotis Giannakis. Three NBA graduates Wang Zhizhi, Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue continue to lead the Chinese brigade which left out veteran point guard Liu Wei. Kazakhstan is playing with a naturalized citizen for the first time, six-foot point guard Jerry Johnson, under new Italian coach Matteo Boniciolli. Jordan also has a new coach Vangelis Alexandris of Greece with Jimmy Baxter taking over from Wright. Bahrain’s coach is Serbian Sasa Nikitovic with former Gilas cager C. J. Giles as naturalized citizen. American coach Scott Fleming will call the shots for India whose tallest player is 7-2 Satnam Singh. Chinese-Taipei is bannered by naturalized citizen Quincy Davis while Qatar, coached by American Tom Wisman, has recruited Jarvis Hayes. Saudi Arabia’s coach is Serbian Nenad Kradzic. Japan will bring back former PBA import J. R. Henderson, now surnamed Sakuragi. Hong Kong’s crack recruit is 6-9 half-Canadian Duncan Reid.