Gilas to wage cold war

VITORIA – Gilas coach Chot Reyes and team manager Aboy Castro were introduced yesterday to a rare type of sauna in this Basque northern city 285 kilometers from Madrid. They met cryogenic therapist Ana Bilbao at a sauna clinic in the center of town.

Reyes and Castro arrived here the other day from Barcelona via Seville and Madrid in a car driven by Spanish agent Igor Crespo who is arranging Gilas’ training camp before the FIBA World Cup starts on Aug. 30. Crespo, who studied at the University of Minnesota and represents 23 high-level basketball stars, is preparing a scrimmage schedule for Gilas. It was well-known Spanish coach Nacho Lezcano who brought Crespo and Reyes together. Reyes met Lezcano at the FIBA Africa Championships in the Ivory Coast last year. At the time, Lezcano coached the Ivory Coast squad.

Vitoria is Spain’s best-kept sporting hub with three playing venues, two private clubs, two public clubs and 15 multi-sport centers in the city whose population is 250,000. On a per capita basis, Vitoria must enjoy the highest ratio of sporting facility to local resident in the country.

Bilbao operates Saunacriogenica which is equipped with a standing cylinder capable of encasing a therapy patient in 180-below-0 degree temperature. She explained that this technology was developed in Japan and enhanced by research in Russia and Poland. Today, it is widely used by elite athletes all over the world, including the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA. The deep-freeze treatment has a therapeutic effect in soothing or eliminating pain and preparing muscles for competition.

Bilbao said she recommends the treatment once a day for five to 10 days. A patient may stay in the cylinder only up to three minutes. “It’s a natural treatment with no side effects,” she said. “The cold sauna is perfect for before and after training or sports. It helps to speed up recovery of tired muscles and tendons. The cold won’t penetrate the skin as it’s superficial. Because of the cold, the brain stimulates the release of endorphins and the immune system is activated. It is anti-inflammatory and regenerates the entire body. It’s perfectly safe, it won’t lead to hypothermia or a heart attack. The benefit is in the moment and it’s not as if the muscles will look for the treatment.”

Experts claim that the therapy decreases cellular metabolism, increases cellular survival, decreases inflammation, decreases pain and spasms, promotes vascoconstriction and destroys bad cells.

Reyes was invited to test the freezing machine and without hesitation, tried it out. He was stripped to his briefs and wore only Russian-made booties that were provided by Bilbao in entering the cylinder. Smoke of dry ice leaked out of the top where Reyes’ head, shoulders and arms were exposed. He was immersed from the neck down in nitrogen. With about 30 seconds left and the temperature steady at 180-below-0, Reyes said he felt a little numbness in his legs. Bilbao said it was a natural body reaction to the temperature.

Reyes got out of the cylinder relaxed and rejuvenated. He said a pain in his lower back was gone. Reyes waited for about 10 minutes for his body to regain its usual temperature. He wasn’t allowed to touch his body during the brief recovery period. Reyes said he would highly recommend the treatment to the Gilas players.

“When we arrive in Vitoria in the first week of August, we’ll do twice-a-day practices, 10 to 12 in the morning, then one hour of weights before lunch,” he said. “The players could do cryogenic therapy in the afternoon so they’re ready to go back to training at 6 at night. I wanted to test it out before recommending the treatment to the players.” When the temperature dropped to 180-below-0, Reyes simulated his right fist thumping his chest, saying, “Laban para sa bayan!”

Reyes asked for a quotation to ship a cylinder with the freezing equipment to Manila and to deliver one to Seville so it’s accessible during the World Cup preliminaries. “We’ll definitely study the cost and benefit of using the system either to buy in Manila or to rent in Seville,” he said. “Once we review the costs, we’ll make a recommendation to MVP (SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan).”

Crespo, 40, hit it off with Reyes as they both talk the same language of basketball. Reyes has expanded his network of contacts extensively after attending the FIBA Eurobasket Championships in Slovenia and the FIBA Africa Championships in the Ivory Coast last year. “MVP has always encouraged us to go global, to internationalize because we’ve been so insular in the past,” he said. “Now is the time to reach out.”

Crespo counts as his closest friends former Pepe Sanchez of Argentina, coach Ettore Messina of Italy, coach Mario Palma of Portugal and former teammates and coaches now occupying top positions in basketball clubs all over the world. He toured Reyes and Castro around Vitoria and opened the doors of several training facilities including the Municipal Multi-Sport Center of Medizorroza. Reyes and Castro stayed at the Jardines de Uleta Suites Hotel where Gilas will be billeted during the Vitoria camp.

Logistics director Andrew Teh decided to stay in Seville for two nights to scout eating, housing and training sites and meet with honorary consul Jose Ignacio Bidon. Reyes, Castro and Teh left Barcelona to fly to Seville. Reyes and Castro then went to Vitoria via Madrid.

Crespo said Vitoria was where the US team trained for the World Swimming Championships last year and is known as a triathlon haven. It’s a sporting city, a perfect venue for Gilas’ training camp. Reyes said Crespo is arranging tune-up games for Gilas with the Ivory Coast, Canada and Angola on Aug. 7-11 and more with Finland, Ukraine, Spain, New Zealand and Mexico before the tournament begins.

Crespo took in his jogging partner Javi Ortiz de Zarate as a business associate last year. “The key is to enjoy what you’re doing,” he said. “Sometimes, I drive five hours one way just to watch a game. If you don’t enjoy it and treat it like a job, you’d better off finding something else to do. I love basketball. When I was at Minnesota, I assisted coach Clem Haskins. I was offered a scholarship to a Division II school in Minnesota but I didn’t accept it. I finished with a food science degree and immediately went to work as an agent. I’ve now been in the sports business for 15 years. I make a lot of friends, put food on the table and enjoy what I’m doing.”

Crespo said he’s gone to Asia only once, to China during a travel convention over six years ago. “I’ve heard so much of the Philippines,” he said. “I watched the Philippines game against Iran in the FIBA-Asia finals. When I watch a game, I look for specific players, how they perform on both ends. I look for potentials. I think the Filipino players can play in the Spanish first division but there is a restriction of one import a team and teams would rather get an NBA veteran or a big guy. No doubt, the Filipino players can hold their own. I like that small quick guy who plays one and two (Jayson Castro) and the forward who’s really tough under the boards (Marc Pingris).”

Crespo said he’s worked out playing tours for Asian countries Japan and Jordan before but never for a Southeast Asian nation. “I like Filipinos and now that I’ve gotten to know coach Chot, Aboy and Andrew, I see there’s a lot of Latin in them, they enjoy what they’re doing, they smile, laugh and joke, they have fun but they’re also very hard workers and when it comes down to doing things, they’re dead serious.”