2024 FIBA Asia U18 Championship

[Metta]

And I think we should be using youth tournaments to identify players who have potential for seniors, not just those who are good players at this level. Can't go wrong with that.

Of course we all want that.

I just wrote a long post about how this is difficult to do in a decentralized environment like ours. Even youth teams of USA have difficulty with this. Hepa was a US national youth player, let that sink in.

[IPC]

That's why I don't really blame Josh too much when he played 6'5" Marc Burgos and 6'4" Charles Esteban exclusively at 4/5 last SEABA. They're mobile, have length and a good motor, and might be able to shoot a bit, but they don't really have handles yet to play the 3. It's on the schools to develop them to play the wing, and sometimes they develop players who are undersized for their FIBA position.

I would blame Josh for wasting our chance with the U18 last 2022. We had Mason then, e.

Also the fact that he relegated Edryn Morales and Bonn Daja to playing just the 4 and 5 spots in last year's U16, despite them having skillsets sufficient to play the 3 (and even 1/2 on Morales' part). We did qualify for this year's U17 WC thanks to a good gameplan and good physicality in the Asian level.

And he's a bit too much like his dad. "Small ball" without much a change in roles and/or skillsets in the key small ball positions, which is 4 and 5. The 4 and 5 just screen, roll, grab offensive boards, or if they can, shoot. In small ball, your 4 and/or 5 are supposed to be more versatile on offense and more importantly, defense. Your small ball 4 is a wing (LeBron, Tatum, KD, Melo), and your small ball 5 is either a tweener (Draymond Green) or a bigger 4 (Chris Bosh, Amar'e Stoudemire).

[lem0nadi]

I would blame Josh for wasting our chance with the U18 last 2022. We had Mason then, e.

Also the fact that he relegated Edryn Morales and Bonn Daja to playing just the 4 and 5 spots in last year's U16, despite them having skillsets sufficient to play the 3 (and even 1/2 on Morales' part). We did qualify for this year's U17 WC thanks to a good gameplan and good physicality in the Asian level.

And he's a bit too much like his dad. "Small ball" without much a change in roles and/or skillsets in the key small ball positions, which is 4 and 5. In small ball, your 4 and/or 5 are supposed to be more versatile on offense and more importantly, defense.

Our best chance to pile up good prospects was the year 2022, had we qualified for both youth WC, we could have cap JJ Mandaquit before he was recruited by the US youth team and Jayden Harper. We don't even have an idea right now if Jayden Harper is eligible even though it looks like he is based on his profile on FIBA.

[lem0nadi]

I would blame Josh for wasting our chance with the U18 last 2022. We had Mason then, e.

Also the fact that he relegated Edryn Morales and Bonn Daja to playing just the 4 and 5 spots in last year's U16, despite them having skillsets sufficient to play the 3 (and even 1/2 on Morales' part). We did qualify for this year's U17 WC thanks to a good gameplan and good physicality in the Asian level.

And he's a bit too much like his dad. "Small ball" without much a change in roles and/or skillsets in the key small ball positions, which is 4 and 5. The 4 and 5 just screen, roll, grab offensive boards, or if they can, shoot. In small ball, your 4 and/or 5 are supposed to be more versatile on offense and more importantly, defense. Your small ball 4 is a wing (LeBron, Tatum, KD, Melo), and your small ball 5 is either a tweener (Draymond Green) or a bigger 4 (Chris Bosh, Amar'e Stoudemire).

This is why I badly want Morales to play for this U18, we did not see how he plays with his natural position yet. He was a member of U18 pool along with Paul Diao and Jayden Jones. Those 3 are 6'4 above and would solve our height woes atleast in the Asian level.

[Metta]

Also the fact that he relegated Edryn Morales and Bonn Daja to playing just the 4 and 5 spots in last year's U16, despite them having skillsets sufficient to play the 3 (and even 1/2 on Morales' part). We did qualify for this year's U17 WC thanks to a good gameplan and good physicality in the Asian level.

I agree, a team that prioritizes development over wins would play Morales and Daja at 2/3. And fortunately, that is what they play in their school/club teams.

Locally though that is easier said than done. Aside from lack of size, people put too much emphasis on winning (even if it is detrimental to development).

[Metta]

No, we could not have capped Mandaquit in 2022. By the beginning of that year, he was a 15 year old in Hawaii getting buzz and offers from D1 teams. By the middle of the year, he was moving to Utah to play in a prep school associated with the Jazz. By the end of the year, he got an invite from Team USA camp. He was too busy and too focused.

We tried though.

And to give guys an idea how crazy prep basketball is in the US. Kids with this much buzz can fetch $100K+ and above to play for particular schools/teams. Brandon Jennings is on record saying he got $250K and that was more than 10 years ago. Notice how Hepa and Mandaquit moved with their family to another faraway state. Heck there are kids in LA given houses in 9th grade. Playing for the Philippines is not high up on their priorities.

[Metta]

My post about how countries are either decentralized or centralized made me realize something.

It's a microcosm of the politics of the whole country. We always portray ourselves as lovers of freedom and democracy (decentralized) where in fact we yearn for authoritarianism (centralized).

"Most people do not want freedom. Because freedom means responsibility and most people don't want that." - Freud

"SBP should do this, the government should provide this, the schools shouldn't do this..." The responsibility is always up to someone else. While in the US, volunteerism in youth sports is common and then capitalism and competition takes the rein from there. The path of Yulo is a good example of a self-starter and someone who used a free environment to maximum effect.

We lowkey want a program like China, where the state decides and does everything for us.

[lem0nadi]

No, we could not have capped Mandaquit in 2022. By the beginning of that year, he was a 15 year old in Hawaii getting buzz and offers from D1 teams. By the middle of the year, he was moving to Utah to play in a prep school associated with the Jazz. By the end of the year, he got an invite from Team USA camp. He was too busy and too focused.

We tried though.

And to give guys an idea how crazy prep basketball is in the US. Kids with this much buzz can fetch $100K+ and above to play for particular schools/teams. Brandon Jennings is on record saying he got $250K and that was more than 10 years ago. Notice how Hepa and Mandaquit moved with their family to another faraway state. Heck there are kids in LA given houses in 9th grade. Playing for the Philippines is not high up on their priorities.

I feel like he was at least interested. Had we really tried recruiting him, there should be news about it considering how significant a player he is in Philippine basketball standards. Even Caelum Harris garnered massive attention just by joining the Gilas seniors' practice, and he isn't highly rated. Although it might not be surprising why a player would choose US over Gilas, in the long term, playing for Gilas could be more beneficial. Jordan Clarkson, for instance, earned PHP50 million for his World Cup stint, and he would also get significant local sponsorships.

Had Hepa played for Gilas instead of the US, he might be a regular fixture in the minds of Filipino fans, especially Gilas supporters. Now, if his international career as a world import doesn't achieve enough success, he might have no choice but to join the PBA.

To be fair, if JJ Mandaquit’s schedule in the US didn't align with the 2022 Gilas youth games, it’s understandable for him to have declined the invitation (assuming the SBP did invite him), especially since he was still playing for the Fil-Am nation in the NBTC despite being a major player already.

Too bad because he really does look like a filipino and has a so-filipino type surname lol.

https://youtu.be/i6p_54DW9e8?si=oFqn3GA5XzW49KqZ

[Metta]

If I'm Mandaquit and I declined a Batang Gilas invitation, would I want to have that publicized? In fact I would tell the officials to keep it in the down low that they offered and I declined. And if I'm a Filipino official, I would grant him that wish and keep the relationship good and at the same time save face.

The way Christian David declined his BG invitation and made it public is how not to handle the situation.

Not everything gets divulged, and not everything that gets divulged is the whole truth.

[ccharmed]

Btw, michael jordan recognized that 4 small guys can beat him one-on-one. These are iverson, stoudamire, strickland and bogues. He can beat them inside where his size matters, but not on the perimeter.

For those who had seen 5'11 iverson in action, he is weight-for-weight, and size-for-size, the quickest, strongest and fiercest baller ever, bar none, in his prime years.

Basura lang ddo tiny guards ng mga coaches seyers against the best tiny guards in the nba. So this "chemistry" is a wild unproven claim of the seyers that never matters, as the talents and athleticism of their favored players would hardly even make them mvp threats in local uaap and ncaa tournaments. Gago lang talaga magpatakbo ng junior nt ang pbs.

[Sikatrix]

If I'm Mandaquit and I declined a Batang Gilas invitation, would I want to have that publicized? In fact I would tell the officials to keep it in the down low that they offered and I declined. And if I'm a Filipino official, I would grant him that wish and keep the relationship good and at the same time save face.

The way Christian David declined his BG invitation and made it public is how not to handle the situation.

Not everything gets divulged, and not everything that gets divulged is the whole truth.

Mandaquit is already with Team USA. No need to explain anything.

[Metta]

Mandaquit is already with Team USA. No need to explain anything.

It's for the naive and uninitiated who thinks everything gets to be explained and publicized to the masses.

Also, he's not a lock for Senior Team USA (far from it). There's still a possibility he dons Ph jersey someday.

[Sikatrix]

It's for the naive and uninitiated who thinks everything gets to be explained and publicized to the masses.

Also, he's not a lock for Senior Team USA (far from it). There's still a possibility he dons Ph jersey someday.

Gonna require a process at this point for him to play for the Philippines. If that process actually starts then thats when we should talk about it but till then he is a prospect for Team USA. Like Jeremy Lin and Taiwan.

[lem0nadi]

Really wondering how Jeremy Lin could not play for Chinese Taipei at this point, I mean yes he did not obtain a passport at the needed age but the exemption rule could be use by the Taiwan Basketball Federation by now. Well, it works with their past NP but I forgot about his name. To think that he is already 35 years old and won't pretty much cause unfairness to other countries with him playing for the Chinese Taipei.

They could just make a case that they are a developing basketball country (again) and if I remember Jeremy Lin has basketball programs in Taiwan.

[JAMSKIE]

It's for the naive and uninitiated who thinks everything gets to be explained and publicized to the masses.

Also, he's not a lock for Senior Team USA (far from it). There's still a possibility he dons Ph jersey someday.

Correct.
How many former USA U-16/17 & U-18/19 team standouts that didn't get to play for NBA-select USA senior team in the Olympics, FIBA World Cup or FIBA-Americas. In fact there are are No. of college standouts that get to play for all-amateur USA senior team during the 80's (pros were not yet allowed to play in FIBA competitions), but never came close to playing for any NBA-select USA teams in the 90's.

I remember point guard Leon Wood was a standout of the gold medalist team USA with legend Michael Jordan in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. But Leon Wood was an averaged player in the NBA & never came close to reaching the level of the likes of John Stockton, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Kevin Johnson, Garry Payton, Penny Hardaway.

The depth of talent in USA basketball senior level is just too great, especially among players 6-foot-3 & below, that making it to the elite level would be very very hard.