BalotSports.info

MANILA, Philippines - Smart-Gilas coach Rajko Toroman said the other day PBA star Kelly Williams of Sta. Lucia Realty would be the last piece in the puzzle to make the national team competitive against Asian powerhouses Iran and China but hesitated to invite the power forward in deference to his pro contract.

SBP executive director Noli Eala agreed with Toroman’s assessment that the gap in the Gilas lineup is in the four position.

Williams, 27, appears to be the perfect choice as he fits the bill for a power forward to complement 6-11 naturalization candidate Jamal Sampson, a five-year NBA center from the University of California at Berkeley. The problem is Williams has a live contract with Sta. Lucia in the PBA and neither Toroman nor Eala will make a move to find out his availability.

“A player like Williams will complete our team,” said Toroman. “We’ve got Sampson to take care of the middle. We’re hoping to sign up Marcio Lassiter who’s solid at either two or three. Then, there’s Chris Lutz who’s coming in March after finishing at Marshall University. Chris can play one or two. We’ve also got Japeth Aguilar, Chris Tiu, Mac Baracael, Mark Barroca, Dylan Ababou, Jayvee Casio, Rabeh Al-Hussaini and the others.”

Toroman said because Williams failed to play for the Powerade team at the FIBA-Asia Championships in Tianjin this year due to illness, he may be willing to join Gilas in the quest for a slot in the 2012 London Olympics.


“Williams can rebound, play defense inside and pass,” said Toroman. “He has excellent fundamentals. He’s not really a shooter and he won’t need to do too much shooting with us. But he’ll make us whole.”

Unless the SBP makes a formal request to the PBA Board and Sta. Lucia Realty, Toroman’s dream will remain wishful thinking.

As for Williams, he said he can’t comment on whether or not he’d like to play for Gilas because at the moment, it’s an academic issue.

“I can’t really comment on that right now,” Williams told The STAR. “But I certainly take it as a compliment. I can say that I think coach Rajko is a good coach doing a great job with the team and that I did miss having the chance to play international competition.”

Sampson, 26, is due back from a two-week leave in the US on Jan. 3 and will join Gilas in a Middle East tour of Doha, Kuwait and Dubai until Jan 23. Lassiter, 22, will reinforce Gilas if he is signed to a contract. Lutz, 24, is definitely joining Gilas in March and will suit up in the FIBA-Asia Champions Cup in Doha on May 7-15, the Jones Cup in July and the Asian Games in Guangzhou on Nov. 12-27.

Lassiter played two years with the California State at Fullerton varsity, averaging 8.9 points as a senior in 2008-09. He was described by Titans coach Bob Burton as “a tremendous defender (and) a really outstanding shooter.” Lassiter’s junior college coach Justin Labagh at City College of San Francisco said, “Marcio brings consistency to the team - he is always ready to play, he has a basketball sense that realizes that shooting is just one part of the game, he is a complete player.”

Lutz is playing out his varsity eligibility at Marshall University this season. He previously saw action for Purdue. The 6-2, 190-pound shooting guard averaged 10.7 points and shot .374 from the three-point arc last campaign. He is known for his “sweet stroke” from the perimeter.

Williams’ mother Andrea Elsa Castro is a registered nurse from Cebu. She migrated to the US over 30 years ago. Williams was born in Detroit and starred at Martin Luther King high school for three years before moving to Oakland University, an NCAA Division I school in Michigan. He was invited by then national coach Chot Reyes to play on the national team in 2005 and was the PBA’s first overall pick in the 2006 draft and MVP in 2007-08.

In the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup, Williams is averaging 17.2 points and a league-high 14.1 rebounds. He sat out 10 Sta. Lucia games last season due to a blood disorder, which also sidelined him for the FIBA-Asia Championships.

Toroman said he wasn’t surprised that C. J. Giles was lured by Lebanese club Al Riyadi after he was released by Gilas two months ago.

“I think Al Riyadi was after Giles since he played for us at the Champions Cup in Jakarta last May,” said Toroman. “When we cut Giles, Al Riyadi signed him up. We gave his FIBA clearance. Since he joined Al Riyadi, they’ve won four in a row. That’s how Giles is. He’s very impressive at the start.”

Al Riyadi is one of 10 teams competing in the Dubai international invitationals on Jan. 14-23 with Gilas the only entry from Southeast Asia. The club not only boasts of Giles but also former PBA import Nate Johnson, 6-11 Joe Vogel, NBA veteran Matt Freije, Canadian guard Ali Mahmoud and 6-1 Omar El Turk under coach Fouad Abou Chakra.

Meanwhile, Eala disclosed that the Philippines is one of only 20 teams picked by FIBA to play in the first-ever World Youth Olympics in Singapore in August. The basketball tournament will be a 3-on-3 event for under-17 boys. Eala said five players will be chosen for the Philippine selection and opened a slot for ex-PBA import Bobby Parks’ Fil-Am son Ray whose mother is Shane Barbosa.

Eala said Parks’ son, a prolific scorer who now stands 6-4, could’ve made a difference in the recent FIBA-Asia under-16 championships where the Philippines finished fourth. A six-point loss to Iran in the quarterfinals could’ve been overturned with Parks in coach Eric Altamirano’s lineup.

Source: Joaquin M. Henson  Philstar.com