Philippine Youth Team

[friedbrains]

I think focusing too much on Beijing Olympics shows how short-sighted our basketball plans are. While I fully support the current NT, I believe that we should not expect too much too soon. The problem with the current NT is that there is just too much hype. We might have unrealistic expectations. And with that, we might not be able to accept defeat that well. There will be finger-pointing, even a witch-hunt. Such defeat might see some people lose jobs (chot, eala?).

Maybe a better and more realistic target will be the Asian Games in 2010. For that, we can even strive to be as champions. And preparation for that should start now. And sorry guys, I don't think the current lineup has got what it takes. Asi and Pennisi are just too slow. Obviously, we rely too much on seigle and caguioa. and maybe norwood. occasionally, hontiveros or even renren may be able to bail us out. but i think we are in for a big disappointment in japan.

anyways, i propose that some bigshot godfather (ala danding cojuangco) should start bankrolling together with the PBA our u-20 or even u-18 NT. We should look all over the world for young turks (pure-blooded pinoy or half-breeds) to train 24/7. dedication is key. they should eat, breathe, live basketball.

if we are really serious in getting back our basketball glory days, then we have to start acting seriously.

my proposed initial line-up: (if they don't want to join the team, we can drug and kidnap them and ask north korean agents to brainwash them on the glory of dying for philippine basketball, hehehehe)

ray parks 6-4
gian chiu 6-10 (to hell with medicine, man!)
japeth aguilar 6-9
gregory slaughter 6-11

hmmmm...... i need shooters!

by the way, it's legal to use naturalized players. maybe we can naturalize ekwe. and/or lasalle's serbian import.


***********************
basketball or death!

[thayil]

..

Do you know WALSHAM?(forgot his first name) I saw him play at CSJL Letran during his Highschool days and I think he is about 6'5" that time and to tell you man he is sure lot of potential.

Ive watched him in basketball TV (I think he is between 6'6" - 6'7" ) DLSU v.s. San Beda.

and man he improved a lot.. He added weight and muscles.. and fundamentally matched Ekwe's power.. I think he is 19 yrs old right(correct me if Im wrong).

With the proper training with Franz Pumaren he could help us in 4 (power Forward) position in the future..

[kerouac82]

by the way, it's legal to use naturalized players. maybe we can naturalize ekwe. and/or lasalle's serbian import.


***********************
basketball or death!

Ekwe is already 22 years old. But there are other players in the San Beda team, like 6'6" Dave Marcelo and 6'5" Jonas Paguia, that will help a lot for the Junior NT cause. Chiang Kai Shek HS's 6'5" Justin Chua also has a lot of upside. UP's controversial rookie Soc Rivera, at 6'4" and growing, is being compared to Arwind Santos now. They are all in their teens and are bound to grow more.

[aquinomartin]

to friedbrains on PHILIPPINE YOUTH TEAM, etc.

I commend you for your great concern on the need for a long-term program for Philippine basketball. Patience, however, should be accorded to the current BAP-SBP leadership. Kindly take note that Executive Director Patrick Gregorio just assumed his job, more or less, a month ago. Despite that, however, efforts have started for such long term goals for our favorite game.
Have you heard Commissioner Noli Eala suggest that Filipinos campaigning in the US NCAA scrimmage with our current national squad??? Wasn't it that the plan of executive director Gregorio to have PBA greats train our young cagers nationwide hit the sports pages already???

Under the proposal, Ramon "El Presidente' Fernandez will teach our youngsters the intricacies of playing the center and power forward slots. Allan "the Triggerman" Caidic and Atoy "the Fortune Cookie" Co will sharpen our outside shooters. And Robert "the Big J and Living Legend" Jaworski and Hector "the Director" Calma will ably assist our aspiring court generals. I hope, though, that Samboy "Skywalker" Lim will also be contacted to hone young fearless slashers.

This steps are positive signs of an innovative Filipino basketball program focused on developing the skills needed in the international basketball arena. Basketball powerhouses have this system for several years already. Did we have this during the BAP era? All that we had were mere inter-secondary and inter-collegiate competitions which alone have not and will not accomplish that goal of developing prolific international ballers.

You have criticized Asi Taulava and Mick Pennissi for being too slow. Too slow in what? We know that Asi and Mick are neither athletic nor high-leaping as our ideal centers. They are, however, the best we have now. Who can you suggest as replacements? Rafi Reavis is injured. Sonny Thoss is quite raw yet, aside from being not as big and tough as Pennissi and Taulava. Marlou Aquino is nearing retirement. Gregory Slaughter is untested. Ronnie Aguilar is too young and not yet a sure thing, pending confirmation of his citizenship. Japeth Aguilar? Let him toughen first in the US NCAA as he has yet to see action there. Samigue Eman? He still has to prove his worth in the PBL. Fil-Kiwi Joe Hooks is already old and slow at 32.

Did you see Asi play his heart out during the 2002 Busan Asian Games? And did you watch him and Mick battle the bigger and more rugged Asian counterparts in the Jones Cup, the Phillippines-Lebanon games, and various international competitions? These two centers compensate their lack of athletic ability with good physical defense; moreover, Asi provides occasional buckets inside while Mick spreads the defense with his timely three-point bombs. We still don't have any other big man who can at least approximate their contributions now. I'm not their agent nor fan, I'm just a pure basketball observer with deep concern and optimistic vision about Philippine basketball.

We cannot deny, however, our need for centers and power forwards who are up to international standards. They need not be seven footers, as size alone does not and will not guarantee success in international competitions. A pair of 6'9 to 6'11" quick, athletic, power playing or sweet-shooting pivotmen will do. African champion Angola, for instance, is short on big men as their tallest player is 6'8" US NCAA forward Joaquim Gomes but they gave powerhouses Spain and Germany games of hell in the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Japan. Let us hope that Japeth Aguilar will maximize his potential in his US NCAA stint. If 7'0" Colorado State freshman Ronnie Aguilar is really Filipino, our problem will be instantly solved. Add Gian Chiu to the mix; Chiu, however, is neither quick nor high flying. More training for Samigue Eman and Gregory Slaughter, though, can help our national cause.

My other reaction focuses on your propensity to overstate the heights of cagers. Gian Chiu is not 6'10", he is at most 6'8". Same with Japeth Aguilar, he is not a legitimate 6'9" player. Please remember that Asi was once advertised as 6'11" and Andy Seigle as 6'10". Subtract one inch from their listed height and they will not feel deprived.

And please forget about Sam Ekwe. He is an atrocious shooter; and he is dominant only in the NCAA. PBL's big men Ken Bono, Joseph Quinahan and Doug Kramer can handle him. Marko Batrecivic? JC Intal and Arwind Santos are way better than him. If we have to avail of our right to play a naturalized player, we might as well use it on an impact player.

No offense dude, just a friendly enlightenment. Am I right guys?

[bolabasket]

AMDG....Atenista ka?

[aquinomartin]

Yes. I'm an Atenean.

Opo bro. Atenista po.

[banex]

[QUOTE=friedbrains]I think focusing too much on Beijing Olympics shows how short-sighted our basketball plans are. While I fully support the current NT, I believe that we should not expect too much too soon. The problem with the current NT is that there is just too much hype. We might have unrealistic expectations. And with that, we might not be able to accept defeat that well. There will be finger-pointing, even a witch-hunt. Such defeat might see some people lose jobs (chot, eala?).

Maybe a better and more realistic target will be the Asian Games in 2010. For that, we can even strive to be as champions. And preparation for that should start now. And sorry guys, I don't think the current lineup has got what it takes. Asi and Pennisi are just too slow. Obviously, we rely too much on seigle and caguioa. and maybe norwood. occasionally, hontiveros or even renren may be able to bail us out. but i think we are in for a big disappointment in japan.
l
anyways, i propose that some bigshot godfather (ala danding cojuangco) should start bankrolling together with the PBA our u-20 or even u-18 NT. We should look all over the world for young turks (pure-blooded pinoy or half-breeds) to train 24/7. dedication is key. they should eat, breathe, live basketball.

if we are really serious in getting back our basketball glory days, then we have to start acting seriously.

my proposed initial line-up: (if they don't want to join the team, we can drug and kidnap them and ask north korean agents to brainwash them on the glory of dying for philippine basketball, hehehehe)

ray parks 6-4
gian chiu 6-10 (to hell with medicine, man!)
japeth aguilar 6-9
gregory slaughter 6-11

hmmmm...... i need shooters!

by the way, it's legal to use naturalized players. maybe we can naturalize ekwe. and/or lasalle's serbian import.


maybe jc intal if he'll improve his 3 pt. shooting
ren2x ritualo is still young and also james yap...

[demonyito]

I think focusing too much on Beijing Olympics shows how short-sighted our basketball plans are. While I fully support the current NT, I believe that we should not expect too much too soon. The problem with the current NT is that there is just too much hype. We might have unrealistic expectations. And with that, we might not be able to accept defeat that well. There will be finger-pointing, even a witch-hunt. Such defeat might see some people lose jobs (chot, eala?).

idol thats a very realistic inputs.

i like your avatar although para syang nagbabate

[Holy Hand Grenade]

idol thats a very realistic inputs.

i like your avatar although para syang nagbabate

Well, it is a guy playing with his balls.

I agree, I can't remember the last time an RP Youth Team did well in an Asian Tourney. The SBP should also make sure that Filipinos playing abroad (like Japeth Aguilar) should be available to play for the national team when the need arises.

[demonyito]

its time for SBP to distant itself a bit from the influence of PBA.
thank God the BAP's gone and i dont see any reason why the SBP cannot do the necessary program like the national training pool of players.

SBP is the official body in-charge of forming the philippine national team.

its your move PAT GREGORY. all the best

[jaybz]

yeah develop players in the countryside..not only include Visayas but also Mindanao...SBP's Pato Gregorio's contacts here in the Visayas is unlimited...he should use it to the hilt...start pooling players as young as 14 years old like what China is doing...

[Sakamoto]

Well, it is a guy playing with his balls.

I agree, I can't remember the last time an RP Youth Team did well in an Asian Tourney. The SBP should also make sure that Filipinos playing abroad (like Japeth Aguilar) should be available to play for the national team when the need arises.

The last time the RP youth team played well in the Asian Youth Championships was in 1989 which was held here in Manila. Players i remember were Danny Francisco, EJ Feihl, Zandro Limpot,Vergel Meneses, johnedel Cardel, Joey Guanio. We placed 3rd beating japan.The last time we host this tournament was in 1995. Payers were Allen Patrimonio,Mark Telan, Domimic Uy,Ralph Rivera,Danny Ildefonso,Rommel Adducul. We placed 7th if not mistaken under coach Virgil Villavicencio.The last time we won the tournament was in 1983 if im not mistaken under coach Ron Jacobs. Players were Hector Calma,Derrick Pumaren,Jong Uichico.

[dynamiteintherock]

Well, it is a guy playing with his balls.

I agree, I can't remember the last time an RP Youth Team did well in an Asian Tourney. The SBP should also make sure that Filipinos playing abroad (like Japeth Aguilar) should be available to play for the national team when the need arises.

You mean basketballs right?

These are tournament where Fiba based it's ranking:

2 FIBA World Championships(5 points)
2 Olympic Basketball Tournaments(5 points)
2 FIBA U19 World Championships(1 point)
2 FIBA U21 World Championships(1 point)
2 FIBA Asia Championships(0.3 point)

So for the youth team, there would be two categories: under 19 and under 21. I think the main problem here is how to convince the basketball leagues to loan the best players to the NT. Maybe by communicating to these leagues before the start of their season who are be going to be selected in the pool and the tournament schedule, then for the sake of patriotism they may let go of their players. Hopefully core players just graduate from one category to the next.

[friedbrains]

I commend you for your great concern on the need for a long-term program for Philippine basketball. Patience, however, should be accorded to the current BAP-SBP leadership. Kindly take note that Executive Director Patrick Gregorio just assumed his job, more or less, a month ago. Despite that, however, efforts have started for such long term goals for our favorite game.
Have you heard Commissioner Noli Eala suggest that Filipinos campaigning in the US NCAA scrimmage with our current national squad??? Wasn't it that the plan of executive director Gregorio to have PBA greats train our young cagers nationwide hit the sports pages already???

Under the proposal, Ramon "El Presidente' Fernandez will teach our youngsters the intricacies of playing the center and power forward slots. Allan "the Triggerman" Caidic and Atoy "the Fortune Cookie" Co will sharpen our outside shooters. And Robert "the Big J and Living Legend" Jaworski and Hector "the Director" Calma will ably assist our aspiring court generals. I hope, though, that Samboy "Skywalker" Lim will also be contacted to hone young fearless slashers.

This is great. Obviously you know a lot more than I do on the current status of organized Philippine basketball. I salute Pat Gregorio for the new, innovative ideas. But i still stand by my proposal of creating a young NT that will train full-time (all the time!).

These steps are positive signs of an innovative Filipino basketball program focused on developing the skills needed in the international basketball arena. Basketball powerhouses have this system for several years already. Did we have this during the BAP era? All that we had were mere inter-secondary and inter-collegiate competitions which alone have not and will not accomplish that goal of developing prolific international ballers.

Hmmm.... this sounds politics. You risk being branded a BAP basher at best, an SBP apologist at worst. Then again, maybe you're just being truthful.

You have criticized Asi Taulava and Mick Pennissi for being too slow. Too slow in what? We know that Asi and Mick are neither athletic nor high-leaping as our ideal centers. They are, however, the best we have now. Who can you suggest as replacements? Rafi Reavis is injured. Sonny Thoss is quite raw yet, aside from being not as big and tough as Pennissi and Taulava. Marlou Aquino is nearing retirement. Gregory Slaughter is untested. Ronnie Aguilar is too young and not yet a sure thing, pending confirmation of his citizenship. Japeth Aguilar? Let him toughen first in the US NCAA as he has yet to see action there. Samigue Eman? He still has to prove his worth in the PBL. Fil-Kiwi Joe Hooks is already old and slow at 32.

Hmmm.... asi and mick are too slow compared to the competition. they're undersized centers or slow forwards. but my point is we should train now for the future. get younger, faster, potentially taller versions of asi. but if you really wanna ask me who we can send now in lieu of asi - i say get a naturalized import. c'mon, we all know that asi like that other tongan in the lebanese NT ain't really legit. ooops..... scout alert!

My other reaction focuses on your propensity to overstate the heights of cagers. Gian Chiu is not 6'10", he is at most 6'8". Same with Japeth Aguilar, he is not a legitimate 6'9" player. Please remember that Asi was once advertised as 6'11" and Andy Seigle as 6'10". Subtract one inch from their listed height and they will not feel deprived.?

i thought gian grew taller. my mistake maybe.

And please forget about Ekwe. He is an atrocious shooter; and he is dominant only in the NCAA. PBL's big men Ken Bono, Joseph Quinahan and Doug Kramer can handle him. Marko Batrecivic? JC Intal and Arwind Santos are way better than him. If we have to avail of our right to play a naturalized player, we might as well use it on an impact player.

you really know your basketball dude! my thoughts were kinda in disarray. naturalized import should only be used in the men's NT, not the youth team. is intal really good? if his game is anywhere near danny francisco, then i say let's go give him some serious training.

No offense dude, just a friendly enlightenment. Am I right guys?

offense not taken pare (friend). i appreciate your concern and passion for the filipino game. your points are all valid. pat gregorio's grass roots program is very good. but i still believe we should have a permanent national training team composed of youngsters with great potential.

and atleast you did not think my avatar's bastos (lewd).

hahhahahahaha.

[demonyito]

opss, sorry if its an offensive, duling lang kasi ako. i thought his left hand is doin something


anyway..i support your very good idea though my english is very limited at this point.

peace