BalotSports.info

Tied up with his commitments with the RP Youth basketball team and the National Basketball Training Center (NBTC), coach Eric Altamirano may pass up the opportunity to join one of the best coaches in international basketball – Rajko Toroman of the Smart-Gilas squad.

“My priority right now is the RP Under-18 team and the NBTC," said Altamirano, who earlier became an understudy of former national coaches Ron Jacobs and Tim Cone. “I want to help coach Toroman and would be glad to join him on the Smart-Gilas bench, but right now, it’s not on top of my priority."

Bringing Altamirano into the coaching staff of Gilas was the idea of Toroman, the mentor who led Iran to its first FIBA Asia Championship crown, himself. The Serbian coach saw the potential of the national youth coach, who led the Under-16 squad to a fighting fourth place finish in the FIBA Asia Youth Championship in Malaysia.

Altamirano and his RP Under-16 team were a game away from reaching the championship round of the FIBA Asia Youth meet, if not for a brick wall that was the mighty Chinese.

Now tasked to handle the Under-18 team, Altamirano said the core of the Filipinos’ U-16 squad will be retained, thus having a continuity program at least for the next two years.

The system is quite similar to the Northern Consolidated team handled by Jacobs in the 80s wherein the bulk of talents remained together up to the time they enter the Philippine Basketball Association and this is what Altamirano wants to achieve.

“Some of the players in the under-16 team will definitely be back," said Altamirano, who has also established his own basketball academy for kids – the Coach-E.

Although Altamirano, who led Puefoods to an All-Filipino title and Mobiline to a Centennial Cup crown in the PBA, may not commit to joining Toroman on the Smart-Gilas bench, two other notable coaches are reportedly being eyed as assistants – multi-titled mentor Louie Alas and former Coca-Cola coach Binky Favis.

Alas, who won championships with Letran, the Manila Metrostars in the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association and the RP team in the Southeast Asian Games, is currently the head coach of the Philippine Patriots in the Asean Basketball League and also handles the Knights in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

But the husky mentor sent a text message to GMANews.TV saying that Smart-Gilas made no formal offer for a job as Toroman’s lieutenant.

For his part, Favis, who was replaced last year as chief strategist of the Coca-Cola Tigers in the PBA, seems very much available and would likely accept the job if it’s offered.

Source: Author Unknown  | gmanews.tv