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Exercise in futility?
By Joaquin M. Henson
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Philippine coach Luigi Trillo said playing in the demonstration sport of 3-on-3 basketball at the recent Asian Indoor Games in Macau was an eye-opener.
Trillo couldn’t believe how skillful the Iranian, Chinese and Hong Kong giants were in claiming the top three spots in the eight-nation tournament where the age limit for players was 18.
Big men are usually clumsy and can’t put the ball on the floor without fumbling. But not the 6-11, 6-10, 6-8, 6-6 and 6-5 players whom Trillo watched, almost in disbelief.
It wasn’t a dream. Trillo was in awe as the Iranians, in particular, showed they’re in a class of their own in Asia.
“I think Filipino players can compete with our Asian opponents on a skills basis but we just don’t have their size,” said Trillo who was a consultant in coach Fritz Gaston’s team that finished second in the SEABA women’s championships a few weeks ago. “That’s a problem we’ve got to address even in coach Franz’ (Pumaren) youth program. Looking for big Fil-Ams might help.”
In the 3-on-3 tournament, the Philippines got off to an auspicious start, blasting Malaysia, 21-4, and Chinese-Taipei, 21-13. But against Iran, the Filipinos just couldn’t keep pace. From a 13-all tie, Iran held the Philippines without a point the rest of the way to win, 21-13. The loss dropped the Philippines into a playoff against Hong Kong for third spot.
Trillo said all the players appeared to be within the age limit. The disparity was in physical growth.
“I tried pick-and-rolls, back-picks, motion and kick-outs to get an advantage,” said Trillo. “But we were up against bigger guys who could move. No excuses. We lost to better teams but we fought hard ‘til the end.”
Trillo noticed the Hong Kong players hung out with the Chinese and probably came from the Mainland.
“I don’t know if Hong Kong has a basketball development program like ours but their players looked very polished,” said Trillo. “They opened a 5-0 lead against us but we came back to go ahead, 28-23. Then, they hit two triples in a row. We tried to catch up but fell short by two. I was disappointed with the officiating. I thought the officiating was fair when we lost to Iran but could be better when we lost to Hong Kong.”
Iran wound up bagging the title, upsetting China in the finals.
“I found out the Iranian coach has visited Manila thrice, twice as a player and once as a coach,” said Trillo. “He knows how Filipinos love the game. Iran doesn’t have too many leagues so players are able to get together for practice without too much difficulty unlike us. The team that won the Asian title in Tokushima recently had mostly junior players so you can imagine how strong Iran will be in the coming years.”
SBP executive director Patrick Gregorio broached the idea to Trillo of coaching the Philippines in the next Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam two years from now and in the first Youth Olympics where 3-on-3 basketball will likely be calendared in 2010.
“The 3-on-3 game is very different,” said Trillo. “You inbound from the baseline and if the receiver gets the ball from inside the lane, he has to bring it out beyond the three-point line before making a play. It’s a half-court game so you can’t run transition, meaning you can’t use the length of the floor for speed against size.”
For Macau, Trillo enlisted 5-10 Clark Bautista, 6-2 Ryan Buenafe, 6-4 Nico Salva and 6-5 Arvie Bringas.
The heartbreaking loss to Hong Kong left the boys limp in the dressing room, crying their eyes out. But Gregorio called on them to show up at the awarding ceremonies, never mind if they were reduced to mere spectators.
“Pato (Gregorio) was a class act,” said Trillo. “He challenged us to get up and hold our heads high. We showed everyone our sense of sportsmanship.”
The Filipinos’ spirit was so evident that at the end of the hostilities, Gregorio was invited by FIBA secretary-general Patrick Baumann to speak in behalf of the eight teams during the closing ceremonies. The honor had to be in recognition of the Philippines’ passion for the game, no matter the odds.
But will the passion ever translate into a gold medal in 3-on-3? Is it an exercise in futility to try to form a competitive team for the next Asian Indoor Games? Are Filipinos doomed to failure in a half-court game where the Goliaths can easily overpower the Davids? Surely, hoping for honors in the 2010 Youth Olympics is wishful thinking.
Should the Philippines instead concentrate on other sports or events where there is a reasonable probability of success?
By Joaquin M. Henson
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Philippine coach Luigi Trillo said playing in the demonstration sport of 3-on-3 basketball at the recent Asian Indoor Games in Macau was an eye-opener.
Trillo couldn’t believe how skillful the Iranian, Chinese and Hong Kong giants were in claiming the top three spots in the eight-nation tournament where the age limit for players was 18.
Big men are usually clumsy and can’t put the ball on the floor without fumbling. But not the 6-11, 6-10, 6-8, 6-6 and 6-5 players whom Trillo watched, almost in disbelief.
It wasn’t a dream. Trillo was in awe as the Iranians, in particular, showed they’re in a class of their own in Asia.
“I think Filipino players can compete with our Asian opponents on a skills basis but we just don’t have their size,” said Trillo who was a consultant in coach Fritz Gaston’s team that finished second in the SEABA women’s championships a few weeks ago. “That’s a problem we’ve got to address even in coach Franz’ (Pumaren) youth program. Looking for big Fil-Ams might help.”
In the 3-on-3 tournament, the Philippines got off to an auspicious start, blasting Malaysia, 21-4, and Chinese-Taipei, 21-13. But against Iran, the Filipinos just couldn’t keep pace. From a 13-all tie, Iran held the Philippines without a point the rest of the way to win, 21-13. The loss dropped the Philippines into a playoff against Hong Kong for third spot.
Trillo said all the players appeared to be within the age limit. The disparity was in physical growth.
“I tried pick-and-rolls, back-picks, motion and kick-outs to get an advantage,” said Trillo. “But we were up against bigger guys who could move. No excuses. We lost to better teams but we fought hard ‘til the end.”
Trillo noticed the Hong Kong players hung out with the Chinese and probably came from the Mainland.
“I don’t know if Hong Kong has a basketball development program like ours but their players looked very polished,” said Trillo. “They opened a 5-0 lead against us but we came back to go ahead, 28-23. Then, they hit two triples in a row. We tried to catch up but fell short by two. I was disappointed with the officiating. I thought the officiating was fair when we lost to Iran but could be better when we lost to Hong Kong.”
Iran wound up bagging the title, upsetting China in the finals.
“I found out the Iranian coach has visited Manila thrice, twice as a player and once as a coach,” said Trillo. “He knows how Filipinos love the game. Iran doesn’t have too many leagues so players are able to get together for practice without too much difficulty unlike us. The team that won the Asian title in Tokushima recently had mostly junior players so you can imagine how strong Iran will be in the coming years.”
SBP executive director Patrick Gregorio broached the idea to Trillo of coaching the Philippines in the next Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam two years from now and in the first Youth Olympics where 3-on-3 basketball will likely be calendared in 2010.
“The 3-on-3 game is very different,” said Trillo. “You inbound from the baseline and if the receiver gets the ball from inside the lane, he has to bring it out beyond the three-point line before making a play. It’s a half-court game so you can’t run transition, meaning you can’t use the length of the floor for speed against size.”
For Macau, Trillo enlisted 5-10 Clark Bautista, 6-2 Ryan Buenafe, 6-4 Nico Salva and 6-5 Arvie Bringas.
The heartbreaking loss to Hong Kong left the boys limp in the dressing room, crying their eyes out. But Gregorio called on them to show up at the awarding ceremonies, never mind if they were reduced to mere spectators.
“Pato (Gregorio) was a class act,” said Trillo. “He challenged us to get up and hold our heads high. We showed everyone our sense of sportsmanship.”
The Filipinos’ spirit was so evident that at the end of the hostilities, Gregorio was invited by FIBA secretary-general Patrick Baumann to speak in behalf of the eight teams during the closing ceremonies. The honor had to be in recognition of the Philippines’ passion for the game, no matter the odds.
But will the passion ever translate into a gold medal in 3-on-3? Is it an exercise in futility to try to form a competitive team for the next Asian Indoor Games? Are Filipinos doomed to failure in a half-court game where the Goliaths can easily overpower the Davids? Surely, hoping for honors in the 2010 Youth Olympics is wishful thinking.
Should the Philippines instead concentrate on other sports or events where there is a reasonable probability of success?
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