Tab casts vote for Chot

MANILA, Philippines -  Gilas/Talk ‘N’ Text coaching consultant Tab Baldwin said the other day it would be an honor to take over the reins of the Philippine national basketball team but stressed that in his view, the best man for the job is still Chot Reyes.

Baldwin, 56, was recruited to join Gilas for last year’s FIBA Asia Championships and the recent FIBA World Cup and Asian Games as a coaching consultant. He is now in coach Jong Uichico’s staff as a consultant with Talk ‘N’ Text in the PBA. Born in Florida, Baldwin transplanted to New Zealand in 1988 and is now a naturalized citizen living in the southwestern Pacific Ocean island country with his Greek wife Efi and their four children.

“Chot brought me to Gilas and I owe this opportunity to him,” said Baldwin who bagged five New Zealand league titles in eight seasons before embarking on a global career that took him to work in Romania, Greece, Turkey, Malaysia, China, Jordan and Lebanon. “I haven’t been asked by anyone if I would coach Gilas. But I imagine if ever I’m asked, it would go through Chot. I just had lunch with Chot and we talked mainly about Talk ‘N’ Text. We didn’t discuss what I would do in case I’m asked to take over Gilas.”

Baldwin has the credentials to justify a coaching job with any international basketball power. “I feel I’m being groomed for a job with a big basketball country,” he said. “I still don’t know what that country is. The New Zealand job is open and that’s an exciting possibility with NBA player Steven Adams in the lineup. I consider the Philippines to be a big basketball country. I’ve coached the national teams of New Zealand, Jordan and Lebanon and I think the passion that Filipinos have for the game is unparalleled.”

Baldwin said coaching under pressure is part of the territory. “There’s external and internal pressure,” he went on. “In international competition, the external pressure is when you’re not supposed to lose to some countries. Like at the recent FIBA World Cup, there was a lot of external pressure on countries not to lose to the Philippines because they’re not supposed to. Then, there’s internal pressure and that comes from within, the pressure from millions of people cheering for the national team. If you coach Gilas, there is both external and internal pressure.”

Baldwin said if Reyes is retained as Gilas head coach, he would be happy to stay on as consultant. A selection committee will be formed shortly to choose the next Gilas coach. An SBP official recently said Reyes may be a candidate. Although the Philippines finished a lowly seventh at the Incheon Asian Games under Reyes, it was the firebrand coach who led the country to the Jones Cup crown in 2012, second place at the FIBA Asia Championships last year, a return to the FIBA World Cup after 36 years and a first win at the FIBA World Cup in 40 years.

At the moment, Baldwin said he’s enjoying his work with Talk ‘N’ Text. “I think we’ve got the talent to compete for the championship,” he said. “It will take a lot of work, however, considering we don’t have a legitimate natural center. But we can do things to compensate. We’ve got Kelly (Williams) and Ranidel (de Ocampo) who can play the five position but obviously, we won’t run isolations for them at the low block with guys like JuneMar (Fajardo), Asi (Taulava) and Greg (Slaughter) defending the post. We’ve got guys who complement them and can do things to make us win. We’ve got quickness and shooting ability. We’ve got guys who can do the dribble-drive offense. If we’ve got limitations, so do the other teams.”

Baldwin said losing a two-point game to Alaska last week on a last-second layup was tough. “I thought we had the game under control but we let one guy beat us,” he said. “I’m happy, though, for Calvin (Abueva) who played a heckuva game. We’ll learn from that.”

If he’s asked to coach Gilas, Baldwin said without being presumptuous, he’d like to know the parameters. “It’s really not just about getting the appointment,” he said. “It’s also about finding out how the national team will be formed, who are the players in the pool, the contract terms, the duration, the mandate, the preparation, all of the things that you’ve got to consider before taking on the job.”

Baldwin coached in three FIBA World Cups before his stint with Gilas in Spain. His best finish was fourth with New Zealand at the 2002 edition in Indianapolis. He also took New Zealand to the 2004 Athens Olympics. In 2010, Baldwin piloted Lebanon to the FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup title and the next year, he steered Jordan to second place at the FIBA Asia Championships, losing to China by a point in the final.