BalotSports.info

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine national basketball team’s goal is to finish at least fourth in the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, on Nov. 12-27 and SBP executive director Noli Eala said yesterday the challenge facing Serbian coach Rajko Toroman is daunting but doable.

The preparations for Guangzhou begin when the Smart-Gilas selection leaves Manila on Jan. 7 to play the Qatar national team in two “friendlies” in Doha. Then, Gilas plays the Kuwait national squad in two games on Jan. 10-11 before competing in an international invitational tournament in Dubai on Jan. 14-23.

Eala said Gilas is booked to play in the SEABA Champions Cup qualifiers on March 3-7 at a site still to be set and at least six games against Australian pro clubs during a 10-day tour of the Gold Coast late that month. Lined up are the Perth Wildcats, Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne Tigers. In April, the team will participate in the Stankovic Cup qualifiers on April 2-6 then play in a series of games in Serbia for 10 days.

Assuming Gilas qualifies, Toroman will pilot the Philippines at the FIBA-Asia Champions Cup in Doha on May 7-15 then train at the Joe Abunassar camp in Las Vegas and play games against the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and the Canadian national squad in Vancouver.

In June, Eala said the SBP is planning to host a pocket tournament featuring teams gearing up for the World Championships in Turkey where Iran, China and Lebanon will represent Asia. Iran and China finished 1-2 in the FIBA-Asia qualifiers in Tianjin this year while Lebanon joined three other wildcards – Germany, Lithuania and Russia – to enter the 24-team tournament via the backdoor by paying 500,000 euros. Eala said he is in contact with the New Zealand basketball association for the Tall Blacks to train with Gilas either in Manila or Auckland.


Then, Gilas will play at the Jones Cup in Taipei in July, take a break in August to allow collegiate players Ryan Buenafe, Aldrech Ramos, J. R. Cawaling and Magi Sison to suit up for their schools in the UAAP and barnstorm the US in October on an extensive NCAA tour similar to what coach Tim Cone arranged for the Centennial squad in 1998. Also in October, Gilas will play in the Stankovic Cup before heading for the Asian Games.

Eala said with the emergence of Asian powers Lebanon and Jordan to crowd Iran, China, Qatar, Korea and Japan for basketball supremacy, the Philippines will be severely tested in Guangzhou.

“We’ve finished at least fourth in the last three Asian Games where we played with a PBA selection so our target is to make it to the semis,” said Eala. “This will be our big test. This will give us an indication if we’ll be up to the task of winning the FIBA-Asia title in 2011 to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.”

The PBA began to represent the Philippines in the Asian Games in Beijing in 1990 with coach Robert Jaworski leading the national squad to the silver medal. In 1994, the Philippines fell to fourth place after losing a 79-76 heartbreaker to Japan in the battle for the bronze with coach Norman Black. China took the gold and Korea, the silver. In 1998, Cone led the Centennial team to the bronze medal behind China and Korea as the Philippines beat Kazakhstan, 73-68, in the playoff for third.

In 2002, the Philippines blew a sure silver when the national team, coached by Joseph Uichico, missed four free throws – two each by Olsen Racela and Asi Taulava – down the stretch and lost a 69-68 squeaker on Lee Sang Min’s desperate triple at the buzzer in the semis. The Philippines never recovered from the shock and was upset by Kazakhstan, 68-66, in the playoff for the bronze.

The Philippines did not play basketball at the Asian Games in Doha in 2006 because of its FIBA suspension. China crushed host Qatar, 59-44, in the finals while Iran trounced Jordan, 84-78, in the consolation match for third. China was paced by NBA veterans Yi Jianlian and Wang Zhizhi. Qatar’s stalwarts included Yasseem Ismail Musa, Daoud Musa Daoud and Erfan Ali Saeed. Hamed Haddai, Nikkah Bahrami and Mehdi Kamrani were the Iranian stars.

Eala said Toroman hopes to suit up a crack 12-man lineup in Guangzhou with naturalization candidate Jamal Sampson and Fil-Ams Marcio Lassiter of California State at Fullerton and Chris Lutz of Marshall University leading the charge. In contention to make the roster are skipper Chris Tiu, Japeth Aguilar, Mac Baracael, Dylan Ababou, Mark Barroca, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Greg Slaughter, R. J. Jazul, Jayvee Casio, Rey Guevara, Cawaling, Ramos, Buenafe and Sison.

Eala said the Dubai invitationals will feature Al Riyadi and Champville of Lebanon, Al Jalaa Aleppo and Al Ittihad Aleppo of Syria, ASU Sports Club and Zain of Jordan, Al Ittihad Alexandria of Egypt, two teams from the United Arab Emirates and Gilas.