Team RP Smart Gilas slams Al Riyadi of Lebanon
By Joey Villar
Updated May 16, 2009 12:00 AM
Smart Gilas RP’s Mark Barroca slashes through
the defense of Lebanon’s Omar El Turk, left, and
Nathaniel Johnson. Jun Mendoza
JAKARTA – A hurting American import CJ Giles provided the heart and Mark Barroca the firepower for Smart Gilas Pilipinas as it overcame Al Riyadi of Lebanon, 91-86, yesterday and barged into the quarterfinal round in the 20th FIBA-Asia Champions Cup at the Britama Arena here.
The 6-11 Giles endured a knee injury in the third quarter and fired eight of his 20 points in the final six minutes to power the Filipinos to their second win in three starts and into the quarterfinals.
Barroca continued to be the most consistent performer in the team built just six months ago as he exploded for 28 points he spiked with seven rebounds, five steals and four assists.
The Far Eastern U standout took over for Smart Gilas in one stretch in the final quarter when he made the key plays and hit the crucial baskets in Giles’ absence.
The Nationals thus assured themselves of at least the No. 2 spot in Group A regardless of the result of their final elimination round game with Qadsia of Kuwait tonight.
“We played a great game, with heart, with passion and with a lot of positive things,” said RP’s Serbian coach Rajko Toroman. “We surprised Lebanon, they have international and national players.
“It’s a big win for us because we’re only six months together, we had some friendly games but that’s not official competition. We showed character, I think that’s the most important thing,” he said.
Giles capped his game-long heroics with a monster two-handed jam off an alley-oop pass from Barroca that all but quashed the rally of runners-up in the 2007 Fiba-Asia Championship in Tokushima, Japan.
It sent the small Filipino crowd, headed by SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan, in frenzied celebration as the RP cagers pulled off the dramatic victory.
“It hurts but I know the guys need me out there,” said Giles, who was bandaged with a knee guard and rushed straight to the nearby Mitra Hospitalfor tests after the match.
The RP cagers performance impressed no less than Lebanon coach Fouad Abou Chakra
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=468154#.
“I’ve said it before, this Philippine team is a very good team, they would never give up for 40 minutes and this is what they did against us,” said Chakra.
It was the second loss in four starts for Al Riyadi, which missed the services of skipper Fadhi El-Khatib due to a sore back.
“We really missed Fadhi, it’s different out there without him, that’s another scoring threat. Hopefully he’ll be back the next game,” said Lebanese-Canadian Ali Mahmoud.
Nate Johnson, who was rested along with the rest of the starters in a lopsided 61-87 loss to defending champion Mahram of Iran Thursday, came away with a tournament-high 43 points but got sidelined in a stretch bridging the third and fourth quarters, enabling the Filipinos to hang tough.
In Group B action, Zain of Jordan overpowered Satria Muda of host Indonesia, 84-71, and Al Arabi of Qatar smashed fellow Gulf rival Al Wasl of United Arab Emirates 97-78 to remain unscathed.
The Nationals’ stint here is supported by main partner Smart, official outfitter ACCEL, official ball Molten, Cebu Pacific, official socks Burlington and official casual wear Collezione by Rhett Eala.
On Thursday, Korean Army outfit Sangmoo unleashed an 18-8 blast in the final five minutes and eked out a 69-66 win over Kuwaiti league champions Al Qadsia in an equally pivotal Group A game.
With the lanky Giles manning the middle and Barroca directing the team’s plays, Smart Gilas seized control in the early going and even led by as many as 17 points, 32-15, in the second period.
The Filipinos kept the momentum until midway in the third quarter when Giles collided with a driving Johnson and took a hard fall. He was carried by his teammates to the dugout.
Lebanon took advantage of Giles absence and unleashed a blistering run which Johnson, who played for a San Miguel team that won a PBA title five years ago, capped with a triple on top of the key to seize the lead, 63-61, late in the third.
But the Filipinos, starring Barroca, flashed their resiliency and a big fighting heart, refusing to give up and bucking the odds to wrest a 73-67 lead early in the last quarter.
Giles then came in to finish the job.
Champions Cup Notes: Toroman’s assistants were also tasked as his night eyes to watch over players violating the 11 p.m. curfew. On Thursday night, conditioning coach Jimbo Saret and physical therapist Albert Rolle were the ones tasked to guard over potential violators, who would be fined if caught...Smart Gilas skipper Chris Tiu had a bum stomach all week. The culprit is the hotel’s spicy food served three times a day...Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Manny V. Pangilinan cut short his meeting with Indofood, a leading food company here where he is president, to lead a small but loud group of Filipinos cheering for the Nationals...Among the crowd were SBP vice chair Ricky Vargas, Philippine Sports Commission chair Harry Angping, Smart Sports chief Patrick Gregorio, ambassador Orly Mercado and Philippine Olympic Commitee chair Monico Puentevella... Former RP team coach Chot Reyes, now with Talk N’ Text, quietly watched the game. On his left facing him were the teams that spoiled his bid in the 2007 FIBA-Asia Championship in Tokushima, Japan-Jordan and Iran. Lebanese star player Fadi El Khatib and Omar El Turk, boasted that the Barroca is the “next Jimmy Alapag." El Khatib was vocal in saying that he considers Alapag the “best point guard in Asia."
Hurting Giles leads Gilas to 91-86 win over Lebanon
By Julius Manicad
05/16/2009
JAKARTA — CJ Giles did a Willis Reed and Smart Gilas Pilipinas National Team escaped with an incredible victory.
Giles sustained an injured left knee in the third period, but stormed back down the stretch, helping the Filipinos stun Al-Riyadi Beirut of Lebanon, 91-86, to secure a quarterfinals berth in the 20th Fiba-Asia Champions Cup yesterday at the Britama Arena here.
After a blazing start, Giles crashed into Lebanese import Nate Johnson in a loose ball scramble and had to be carried by several teammates back to the locker room for immediate treatment, 5:38 left in the third canto.
But the 24-year-old American reinforcement made a surprising comeback midway through the fourth quarter, fashioning a heavily-bandaged knee and limping his way back to the court like Reed did in Game Seven of the 1970 NBA Finals when he led the New York Knicks to a 113-99 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Giles scored eight of his 20 points in the final period, dousing cold water in the scorching run waged by Johnson and the gutsy Lebanese, who played without their injured superstar, Fadi El-Khatib.
He was taken to the Sieta Mitra Hospital after the game and will not be suiting up in their 7 p.m. (Manila time) game against Kuwait today.
“He showed a lot of character,” National mentor Rajko Toroman said. “We don’t know yet what kind of injury he has, but we’ll not put him in tomorrow’s game. He still has two days to rest before the quarterfinals and we’re hoping he could lead us to victory once more.”
“Even if he insists, we’ll not put him on the court tomorrow — that’s for sure.”
Mark Barocca led the Nationals with 28 points, seven rebounds and five steals while providing a lot of hustle on both ends of the floor despite the blazing rally of the Lebanese in the final canto where a 13-3 run melted the Filipinos’ 62-50 advantage in the third period.
Dylan Ababou came off the bench and chipped in 17 points while Aldrech Ramos had eight markers for the squad bankrolled by Smart, Cebu Pacific, Burlington, Accel, Molten and Collezione.
The Nationals had an oozing start, erecting a huge 17-point lead in the latter part of the second quarter, 44-29. Giles, however, sustained an injury, giving the Lebanese an opportunity to shut the third period at 65 apiece.
And when Giles stepped back, the Nationals slowly pulled away, mounting a 12-point lead in the final 2:14. But Johnson caught fire, trimming the gap to within two, 82-84, before Barocca made a beautiful pull-up jumper with only 37.6 seconds left to bail the Filipinos out of danger, 86-82.
“You cannot question the character and the heart of these guys,” Toroman said. “They (Lebanese) have seven to eight players of their national team and two Americans, this victory should really make us proud.”
Johnson, a former PBA Best Import awardee, torched the net with 43 points while his partner, Chris Charles had 21 points and 12 rebounds as Lebanon fell to 2-2 behind unbeaten Iran (3-0) and Philippines (2-1) in Group A.
Guts, pride and one huge step for Philippine basketball
Business Mirror Sports
Written by Bleachers’ Brew / Rick Olivares / bleachersbrew@gmail.com
Sunday, 17 May 2009 21:57
THE score at the end of three quarters of play was 65-all. The Smart Gilas RP Men’s Basketball Team had lost an impressive 16-point lead that it mounted early in the first half of their third match in the 20th Fiba Asia Champions Cup. It brought to mind their previous match that they lost to Mahram Iran, where they also posted a double-digit lead before the squad’s American reinforcement CJ Giles went out with foul trouble.
Giles had gone out once more, but this time because of a knee injury while contesting a lay-up by former San Miguel Beer import Nate Johnson (who led the ballclub to a title in the Philippine Basketball Association), who was now plying his trade with Al Riyadi Lebanon.
Gilas head coach Rajko Toroman temporarily put aside his fears and concerns for Giles to attend to the task at hand. Lebanon, although missing a bunch of players because of injuries, had the heart of a champion as they were coming off title runs in their home country and in Dubai. Al Riyadi, led by its American players Johnson and former Villanova center Chris Charles, outscored the Philippines 31-16 to notch the match to only its second deadlock at 65-all.
There was some drama building up to the game. Both the Philippines and Lebanon were coming off losses (both to Iran coincidentally).
After the loss of Smart Gilas to Mahram, the Filipinos’ American reinforcement CJ Giles wept. He even refused to eat afterwards as he blamed himself for letting the team down (Giles fouled out).
“At least he’s got character,” noted Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Noli Eala of the American’s emotions.
Toroman, on the other hand, seethed over Lebanon’s loss to Iran as Al Riyadi mentor Fouad Abou Chakra benched his banged-up starters in favor of his bench. The Lebanese champs were subsequently blown away by more than 20 points.
The Serbian coach of Gilas thought it was a mockery as there was no attempt to win. Chakra thought it mere prudence to live and fight another day. Iran’s coach Mostafa Hashemi agreed with Toroman but was nevertheless glad to see his club remain undefeated to keep pace with old nemesis Zain Jordan, the leaders of Group B in the 20th Fiba-Asia Champions Challenge Cup.
Both teams needed to win in order to place well for the quarterfinals. A loss by the Philippines would give life to Sangmoo Korea that finally notched their first win against Kuwait Qadsia the day before.
A loss by Lebanon meant on the other hand that they could be on a collision course with either Al Arabi Qatar or Al Wasil UAE.
Having already gotten a taste of real competition, Smart Gilas showed no fear as they took the game to the West Asian country. Gilas point guard Andy Mark Barroca, averaging 16 points in the first two games, immediately put the cuffs on Al Riyadi guard Ali Mahmoud, who was stripped twice and whistled for three fouls in the first half.
Barroca and Giles combined for 16 points in the first ten minutes of play as Smart Gilas’ defense wreaked havoc on Al Riyadi’s guards who were unable to establish any sense of play. With their guards taken out, Chakra directed the ball to Johnson and let him create.
Johnson traded baskets and good-natured talk with his guard, forward Dylan Ababou, who didn’t back down. “Got it tough?” asked Johnson after swishing a trey. The Filipino swingman responded by tipping in an offensive rebound for a 49-34 halftime lead.
After a hot start, the clamps were on him and Charles, the former Wildcats backup center, picked up the slack to keep Lebanon in the game.
At 5:38 of the third quarter, with the Philippines holding a 56-44 lead, Gilas captain Chris Tiu and team trainer and conditioning coach Jim Saret carried out Giles. As the Filipinos momentarily lost their wits, Toroman thought that it was a magnificent opportunity to show their true character.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Toroman fielded Aldrech Ramos, Jason Ballesteros, Jayvee Casio, Dylan Ababou and Barroca. Al Riyadi had Mohammad Ibrahim, Omar El Turk, Ali Fakhreddine, Johnson and Charles, opting for more height now that Giles was not on the floor.
In Lebanon’s first possession, they recovered the offensive rebound five times before Ibrahim scored on a lay-up that had the bass drum of the team’s supporters beating louder.
Ramos is one of the more quiet players on the team as he prefers to laugh at his teammates’ jokes. He played center and at time power forward, averaging 4.5 points and 1.5 points in the first two matches.
On the next possession, Casio drove to the lane then handed off a pass to Ramos, who rolled in, pulled up with Charles’ hand in his face and buried a jumper. 67-all.
In the meantime, Giles was masterfully patched up by Saret (as the trainers of four countries looked on in amazement). “Just hold them off for two minutes, guys,” hollered the former Los Angeles Lakers draftee. “I’m coming back.”
The team’s operations manager, Butch Antonio, concerned that Giles might aggravate the injury, ventured that maybe Giles conserve himself for the next match.
“No, I’m not going to let the team down.”
The Filipino team on the floor returned Lebanon the favor by regaining ball possession four times before Ramos swished in another jumper. 69-67 RP.
Two free throws by Barroca and four points by Ramos sandwiched between a basket by El Turk gave the Philippines a 73-64 cushion when Giles pulled a Willis Reed and entered the court with 6:29 left in the fourth quarter.
The small Filipino crowd, lead by team patron and business magnate Manuel Pangilinan, Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping, Philippine Ambassador to Asean Orly Mercado and Indofood commissioner Albert del Rosario, stood up and gave the team an ovation for remaining steadfast in the face of the mounting pressure.
A miss by Lebanon, and Giles pulled down the defensive board. On a gimpy knee, the American sprinted down, caught a pass from Barroca and whirled around with Johnson draped all over him for a magnificent lay-up that brought everyone, including the Indonesian and Jordanian crowd, to their feet.
At the 3:33 mark, Giles caught an alley-oop, once more from Barroca, for a two-handed slam that brought the house down. 82-72, RP.
He followed that up with a nasty fadeaway shot from 18-feet out with Charles coming out a second too late to challenge it.
Al Riyadi still had one last charge in them as Johnson, who finished with 43 points, and Brian Feghali fought back. But team Gilas’ free-throw shooting down the stretch held as Giles and Ababou added two apiece as they held on for a pulsating 91-86 win for a 2-1 record in Group A.
After the match, some of the Iranian players, visibly impressed with the hard-earned victory, went over to congratulate Toroman, their former national coach: “See you in the Finals!”
Toroman smiled, inquired about Giles (he was diagnosed with a knee strain), and went to the postmatch press conference.
Philippines 91—Barroca 28, Giles 20, Ababou 17, Ramos 8, Tiu 8, Casio 6, Baracael 2, Cawaling 2
Lebanon 86—Johnson 43, Charles 21, Fahed 8, Mahmoud 6, Ibrahim 5, Feghali 6
