I was particularly delighted with the way Gilas executed their offense. It seems that they have almost mastered coach Rajko Toroman’s system. Seven players contributed in double digits highlighting an unpredictability in the scoring department. They knew how to quickly adjust to the kind of defense their opponents throw at them. The quarterbacks were confident that they could easily hurdle the mid court line when pressured. Besides, the Gilas looked organized in execution on both ends of the floor. Checking on the stats, they were able to limit TNT’s outside firepower to just 21.4% on a 6 of 28 shooting while making 9 of 23 of their own beyond the arc. Moreover, the Gilas outrebounded TNT 58-50.

However, there’s one thing that did not sit well with me on that game. That is the rotation at the Center spot. Marcus Douhtit played 43 minutes while Jason Ballesteros and Greg Slaughter combined for a measly 5 minutes throughout the game. Greg could have contributed more on inside scoring and rebounding had he been given more time on the floor.

It may be just the first game that the Gilas played so far in this tournament but with the way I see it, they have begun to reap the fruits of their labor for the past two years. It’s in the system that matters. And I think that they have a right system in place. In my previous post dated January 17, I was in doubt about the future of this team with coach Rajko Toroman at the helm. Now, I believe otherwise. I am now confident about the performance of this team in its PBA stint and the upcoming tournaments especially at the FIBA-Asia Championship in Wuhan, China this September.

1. Iran has proven its maturity as a team. They beat the Philippines 81-68 on its first game and Japan 77-73 on the second game. What makes their two wins special is the fact that they did it without three national mainstays Hamed Haddadi, Javad Davari and Hamed Afagh. Probably those three can make a difference.
2. Japan is for real. After a disappointing decade in the international basketball, it seems that they are as serious as most of the elite teams in Asia. Though they lost twice already, those twin losses were close enough. They led most of the way against Lebanon until they ran out of gas and lost 82-87. Against Iran, the Japanese were just beaten by 4 points, 73-77. It seems that they are dead serious in trying to reclaim the respect the other countries had with them before.
3. Smart Gilas has shown its vast improvement with a healthy line-up and a naturalized prospect. It’s just a matter of time that this team reaches its peak. They lost to Iran by 13 points but I can see their progress as a team.

I’ll be posting my thoughts as the tournament progresses.

Coach Rajko gained international attention when he piloted Iran back to the Olympics after 60 years thru the 2007 FIBA-Asia Championship in Tokushima, Japan. A year earlier, he steered the same team to a third place finish in the Doha Asian Games. It was an uphill task for a coach to bring Iran to the elite level coming from mediocre performances in the past.

Now that Toroman has been at the helm of Smart Gilas, he faces an extreme challenge of taking the Philippines back to its throne. The Philippines is doing everything to regain Asia’s basketball supremacy. However, in the ongoing FIBA-Asia Champions Cup, RP-Smart Gilas just absorbed back to back losses from Qatar’s Al Rayyan and Kazakhstan’s Astana Tigers. This proves that the team is still far from a perfect form.

With this scenario, the Philippines may have to bounce back from the grave to gain respect from its peers. The Guangzhou Asian Games is just around the corner and a lot has still to be done. Remember, coach Rajko led Iran to a third place finish in the Asian Games and a title in the Asian championship. Can he do the same thing for the Philippines this time around?

Photo Courtesy: Spufalcons.com

After Chris Tiu and Chris Lutz, another Chris has been on the radar of the Smart Gilas national team. Chris Banchero, a Fil-Italian guard who had been making waves in the US NCAA Division II the past season is the latest prospect of the national team. He was invited by coach Rajko Toroman in the team’s recent training in Las Vegas and created immediate impact on the team with his decent performance.

Banchero stands 6-foot-1 and plays as point guard for the Seattle Pacific University Falcons, an NCAA Division II school. As a junior this past season, he was highly regarded by the National Association of Basketball Coaches  (NABTC) for his superb performance  by leading his team to a 22-6 record. He topped his team in scoring by averaging 19.6 per game on a 52% field goal accuracy! Besides, he has proven to be a clutch player by hitting geme winning baskets at least twice the past season. His defensive acumen as well makes him a complete player. In fact, he ranked 13^th in the league in steals at 1.3 per outing. With these, he was selected to the NCAA Division II All-America team by the NABTC.

Another Chris, another quality player for the national squad.

Photo Courtesy: Abante.com

One of the most underrated players in the Smart Gilas roster is Jason Ballesteros. I call him a little big man because he is undersized for his position on the court. He either plays the 4 or the 5 position. Given his height at 6-foot-7, he’s short to play in the team’s frontline. However, whatever he gives up in height, he makes up with the right attitude. He has both a bull-strong physique and will power that propel him to be the best he can be.

Jason was a revelation in the Gilas’ stint in Dubai last January where he played beyond everybody’s expectations. Besides, he may not produce eye catching figures in the stat sheets but he can give the opposing teams’ big men big headache. I am hoping that he will be included in the final roster of Smart Gilas that plays on the Asian Games this November in Guangzhou, China.

Photo Courtesy: Philstar.com

Unconfirmed reports reveal that former Ateneo Blue Eagle Rabeh Al–hussaini is contemplating of exercising the exit clause in his contract with the Smart Gilas to join 2010 PBA draft. If this rumor is true, I would rather see him out of the national pool as early as now. Right from the very start, I already doubt his commitment to play for flag and country. In fact, it was reported that he insisted that his contract with the Gilas has an exit clause.

With the possible inclusion of Kelly Williams and a naturalized player now in sight, the national squad’s frontline becomes formidable. Japeth Aguilar, Greg Slaughter and Jason Ballesteros showing decent performances lately leaves Al-hussaini’s fate in the national squad in doubt. If I were Frankie Lim, I would advice Rabeh to opt out of his contract as early as now. After all, he is an undersized center and too slow to be a power forward.  Morevover, the fact that he has an option to back out of the national team leaves his commitment in question.

The national team needs players and staff to sacrifice for flag and country. It’s of national interest. It does not need somebody like Al-hussaini who thinks and plays as if he’s a superstar. If his commitment isn’t 100%, better to let him go.

Photo Courtesy: angperegrino.com

‘When you’re right, no one remembers. When you’re wrong, no one forgets.’

I used to hear this line from my teacher back in high school. It’s an ageless saying that somehow related to the ugly news spreading these days involving Manny Pangilinan’s controversial commencement address in Ateneo de Manila recently. That some parts of the speech he delivered were simply copied from those imparted by famous persons including U.S. President Barrack Obama. In short, plagiarism.

Yes, it’s true. And he admitted it.

People close to the PLDT’s top honcho pointed out Pangilinan conveyed the one prepared by his supposedly new speechwriters and was unaware that it contained copied lines from famous talks.

It’s a mistake. An honest mistake for that matter by the big boss.

This bungle, however, spread like wildfires over the internet the last few days. Something like a sex video scandal. This makes me furious over those who have grossly criticized Manny, who, in some ways has been at the forefront in improving the Filipinos’ lives.

I first came across with the name Manny V. Pangilinan sometime in 1998. I was a college senior then in Ateneo de Davao University following a teleserye-like corporate tug-of-war  between the Gokongwei group and Indonesia’s Salim group to wrest control of PLDT. Pangilinan successfully led the Salim empire through First Pacific in seizing dominance of PLDT’s board seats. Since then, our country’s telecom industry was never the same again.

MVP, as he is fondly called, brought his exceptional skills in changing the landscape in Philippine sports as well. Both a Bedan and an Atenean, he supported the basketball programs of these institutions that eventually led to their dominance in their respective leagues in the last decade. More importantly, Pangilinan has been aggressively backing the Philippines’ quest for an Olympic berth in basketball in 2012 London Olympics. The goal of regaining Asia’s basketball supremacy has been framed through the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), particularly the Smart Gilas developmental team.

Lately, Manny has also been a patron to our country’s amateur boxing program. The framework provides the backbone enroute to our country’s quest for an elusive Olympic gold in boxing.

Manny V. Pangilinan has been changing the name of the game in each field he has been into, may it be in business, sports, in the academe and even in corporate social awareness. That’s why, it’s so annoying to hear those nasty things about him. Truly, when you’re right, no one remembers. When you’re wrong, no one forgets.

Australia’s basketball may not be as big as in the United States or in the Philippines. Cricket, Rugby, Australian Football, Horse racing  are far more popular in terms of crowd attendance. However, there’s one thing that caught the attention of coach Rajko Toroman in the Aussies – zone defense.

I remember back in 2004 Athens Olympics, Australia played against the United States in the preliminaries.  The Americans had a hard time breaking the zone of the Aussies. Though the former won in that game, it was a close match that pushed the Americans to the brink. Note that Team USA was made up of NBA stars including Tim Duncan, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. The Americans ended up third in that tournament though.

The Australia trip of the Gilas is the second of the series of international exposures as a run up to the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China beginning November 12. Scheduled to follow this tour is a series of exhibition games in Serbia, United States and possibly against the Canadian national team in April.

The performance of the developmental team in their recent joust in the gulf city somehow provides a glimpse of where the program is at right now. This program is aimed to restore basketball supremacy in Asia that we Filipinos had been enjoying for decades. It was patterned after the Northern Cement team of the eighties where a foreigner was tasked to do the coaching chores, beefed up with naturalized players and with a financial backing of a mogul with a vast interest in basketball. That formula came up with a gold medal finish in the 1986 ABC, the forerunner of the FIBA-Asia. Had it not been with the political instability right after EDSA I, Northern Cement-backed team should have played in the 1986 World Championship in Madrid, Spain. In short, the formula is effective. That is why, I am confident that Smart Gilas can duplicate the feat of the Northern Cement back in the eighties. And I believe that Gilas is on the right track.