Black-out in Bangkok

It was a nightmarish experience for coach Norman Black in preparing Gilas for the SEA Games in Bangkok but when the curtains finally fell to end the journey last Friday, the gratification of victory had to be worth the headaches along the way.

Black, 68, was pressed back to active duty as head coach with the PBA Philippine Cup in progress. He’s been a coach since 1985 with multiple championships in the PBA and UAAP. In 2011, Black piloted the national team to the gold medal in 5x5 basketball at the Jakarta SEA Games. He’s now a coaching consultant with Meralco in the PBA and San Beda in the NCAA while working closely with SBP in conducting clinics for coaches all over the country. When SBP looked for a capable coach to steer Gilas at the SEA Games, Black was the perfect choice. He was available and his credentials are impeccable. But Black probably didn’t bargain for this predicament and pressure.

In forming his team, Black had asked for Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser from TNT, Robert Bolick from NLEX and Jason Brickman from Meralco. His initial cast included Justin Brownlee, Dave Ildefonso, Michael Phillips, Remy Martin and Kymani Ladi. Matthew Wright, Thirdy Ravena, Jamie Malonzo and Justin Chua came in as free agents.

One by one, Black’s choices were struck out. Thai organizers red-flagged Phillips, Ganuelas-Rosser and Brownlee, explaining they received their Philippine passports after 16. They also banned naturalized players despite claiming an alignment with FIBA eligibility rules. Martin was yellow-flagged, pending an investigation of when he got his Philippine passport. Black couldn’t wait for a resolution of the case and moved on. Ildefonso and Brickman were still playing in the MPBL and Ladi wouldn’t have made the grade because he was issued a Philippine passport after 16.

Black appealed to the PBA for more reinforcements. Dalph Panopio and Abu Tratter were loaned from Blackwater. Von Pessumal checked in from Titan and Poy Erram, initially ruled out by the Thais, was picked from TNT to replace collegiate player Allen Liwag. To fill the roster, Black brought in another collegian Veejay Pre. Ray Parks was allowed by his Japanese B-League to join and wouldn’t disappoint Black, his godfather.

Black had only 12 days of practice and not all the players were available early on. Still, he went to war with a hodge-podge bunch of players facing the pressure of retaining the SEA Games gold. Some fans were ready to give up on the team as after all, the SEA Games aren’t a qualifier for the FIBA Asia Cup or the Olympics. But Black’s boys were determined to defy the odds.

In Bangkok, Black had more problems to overcome. There was a breakdown of the team bus on the way to practice and the 45-minute delay left only an hour to work out in the gym. There were unexplainable calls that hounded Gilas in each game. Thailand presumably wanted Gilas to be eliminated by Indonesia in the semis so it wouldn›t go against the Philippines in the final. Gilas’ 16-point lead in the fourth quarter was razed to three at the final buzzer against Indonesia, surviving one bad call after another. In the final, Gilas came from behind to take down the host nation, 70-64.

The campaign was a challenge for Black. Gilas repulsed Malaysia, 83-58, and Vietnam, 78-67, in the group stage then edged Indonesia, 71-68, before beating Thailand for the gold. Bolick was the only Gilas player to score in double figures in every game as Black relied on a balanced attack. Black engineered a black-out of the opposition in Bangkok and the hard-earned triumph was a huge feather in his cap. He pulled off the victory under the most tempestuous circumstances and preserved the Philippines’ dominance in 5x5 basketball in Southeast Asia.