From my MANILA STANDARD TODAY column, Game Winners 04/16/10
Our country’s pride, the Smart Gilas National team, composed of the brightest basketball talents coming out of the collegiate ranks, have been honing their skills under the mentorship of Rajko Toroman. As part of their preparation, they recently went to Serbia for a boot camp and a series of tune up games with some of the most feared squads in the region. Though they only won one game and dropped five, Coach Rajko is absolutely pleased with how Gilas stood tall amongst the giants.
“They were difficult games but we were competitive. Except for one game where we suffered a 30point blowout against a team with a national player, an American, a point guard who’s 6’6” and an agile 7’5” player from Europe”. Coach Rajko also shared that despite that, the results were good. Even his friends who saw them last year noted the vast improvement in the team’s development.
Another positive aspect is that he saw a different dimension in his roster. Fil-am Marcio Lassitier who scored 21 points and grabbed 6 rebounds against their toughest opponent was a revelation, as well as Greg Slaughter who have broken out of his shell and had a noteworthy 10 point and 11 boards production in one of the games.
Coach Rajko though knows that they’re still in dire need of a big guy, as they found themselves down by 24 rebounds in one game and their quick players didn’t have an anchor. “We were so small in Serbia”, he added. The naturalization process for a big guy has been a long and onerous process; they take a step forward, and sometimes get jolted back to square one. Right now, they’re banking on 6’10” American Jared Homan who is playing in Greece. They did eye Greg Stiemsma who, at 6’11” is the D-League’s best shot blocker, according to Toroman, but was called up by the Timberwolves.
Another reinforcement they’re looking at is Fil-Am Chris Lutz, who will be joining them in their in the US and Canada tour. They leave on April 23 for their 15 day trip. “We’re close to completing the team”, beamed Toroman.
The first test for a complete Gilas aquad will be in May’s Champion’s Cup in Doha. In June, they’re planning a big tournament here in Manila against teams from Jordan, Korea, China, etc. The Jones’ Cup in July is also part of the plan. The major goal this year though is to fare well in the Asian Games this November in Guangzhou, China.
With the kind of schedule they have, the players are still upbeat and are showing no signs burn out. “This is the only way we can improve. When I was in Iran, in a span of 4 months, we played 30 official games on the road. That’s how we won the Fiba-Asia championships”. Apart from that, with all the sacrifices and the demands, the players seem to be enjoying the all the travelling anyway.
During their trip to Toroman’s mother land, the players were given “good provisions”, from their hotel, to the food, down to the gym. It speaks volumes on the kind of backing they get from Manny Pangilinan. “I was talking to all my friends and they were surprised at the kind of support we are getting”, shared Coach Rajko. “Nobody in the world supports a national team like MVP”.
As for possibly tapping talents from the pro-ranks, Gilas is still open to tapping PBA players to help but will not engage in any such agreements while the season is still ongoing. “The door is wide open”.
