|
Post by rpbenchwarmer on Aug 6, 2011 16:05:15 GMT 8
I created this thread for us to have a place to discuss everything about our national basketball team. I just hope this will not raise some eyebrows especially the football purists. ;D
|
|
|
Post by rpbenchwarmer on Aug 6, 2011 16:07:20 GMT 8
Smart Gilas Pilipinas opens Jones Cup bid vs. Iran, instead of JordanPhilippine Daily Inquirer 9:54 pm | Friday, August 5th, 2011 TAIPEI—Jordan suddenly lost the swagger of a world championship qualifier after successive beatings from the Smart Gilas national team. The Philippine five intends to keep it that way in their impending match up in the William Jones Cup at Hsinchuang Stadium in New Taipei City here. But the clash will have to wait until August 8, though, as a sudden change in schedule had the Philippines facing powerhouse Iran as early as Saturday. Iran is certainly a tougher test for the Filipinos as the back to back Asian champions will again be led by seven-foot-two Hamed Haddadi, who is a member of the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA. But Smart Gilas team captain Chris Tiu is confident of landing at least second place in the Jones Cup despite the presence of Iran along with South Korea and Japan—teams they haven’t beaten yet in any tournament the past three years. A playoff round, semifinals and finals have also been added to the tournament, which was rescheduled due to the withdrawal of of South Africa. The Philippines tackles Chinese Taipei on Sunday, but the supposed rest day on the following day was scraped as the team will play on each day of the annual meet which runs from August 6 to 14. The Nationals instead face Jordan on Monday, with Malaysia, South Korea, United Arab Emirates and Japan lined up next. Head coach Rajko Toroman has practically brought the same roster that stunned the Jordanians and finished in the semifinals of the Fiba Asia Champions Cup held in Manila some three months ago. “We actually won our last three games against Jordan and to be honest, I expect to win again,” said Toroman. Aside from their meeting in the Champions Cup, the Filipinos also claimed the scalp of the Jordanians in the elimination round of the Fiba Asia Stankovic Cup and the finals of the Manila Invitationals last year. Fortified by PBA stars Asi Taulava and Dondon Hontiveros, the Nationals are training their sights on a medal finish in the nine-nation tournament calendered a month before the Fiba Asia Championship in Wuhan, China on Sept. 15 to 25, the qualifier for the 2012 London Olympics. Co-skipper Mark Barroca, JV Casio, Mac Baracael, Dylan Ababou, Marcio Lassiter, Jason Ballesteros, Chris Lutz and naturalized center Marcus Douthit are back to help improve the Philippines’ fourth-place performance last year. Also joining the Nationals are Smart Gilas operations head Butch Antonio and assistant coaches Jude Roque, D’Jalma Arnedo, Oliver Bunyi, Charles Tiu, Ryan Gregorio, travel planner and consultant Andrew Teh, therapist Albert Rolle and Fiba referee Raffy Britanico. Jimmy Alapag, Kelly Williams and Ranidel De Ocampo of Talk ‘N Text were also tapped by the national squad but skipped the Jones Cup after the Tropang Texters qualified for the finals of the ongoing PBA Governors Cup. “Every game is now important,” said Toroman. “We need to build up confidence and for the PBA players to get used to playing with the Smart Gilas guys.” Link: sports.inquirer.net/10265/smart-gilas-pilipinas-opens-jones-cup-bid-vs-jordan
|
|
|
Post by rpbenchwarmer on Aug 6, 2011 16:08:18 GMT 8
Smart Gilas also eyes a spot in 2014 World Championships By Joey Villar (philstar.com) Updated August 06, 2011 12:32 PM NEW Taipei City -- Smart Gilas Pilipinas will continue its chase not just for an Olympic berth in London next year but also a spot in the 2014 FIBA World Championship. Smart Gilas team manager Frankie Lim revealed Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Manny V. Pangilinan recently told the Nationals that the stakeholders funding them agreed to extend the program, which was put in place three years ago, for a couple of more years. "We were told Smart Gilas will be extended for another two years without specific details," said Lim. The lack of "specific details" means Serbian coach Rajko Toroman's future with the Nationals is uncertain although his stay could hinge on how they will fare in the FIBA-Asia Championship slated Sept. 15-25 in Wuhan, China where the winner represents the region in London. It also meant that there could be some changes in the composition of the team as current members were reportedly given a free hand to decide whether or not to aply for this year's PBA rookie draft on Aug. 28 at the Robinson's Ermita or just remain with the Nationals, who started their Olympic chase three years ago. Toroman, however, was just happy that Smart Gilas was extended. "It would be good for Phl basketball because the program is already in place, it is a shame if it would put to waste," said Toroman, whose team is currently in Chinese Taipei seeing action in the Jones Cup that starts today. Toroman explained there are more talented players available now including naturalized 6-10 center Marcus Douthit and some PBA reinforcements. "The team could be formed with the combination of old Smart Gilas players and some new ones from the collegiate level plus Marcus (Douthit) and some PBA players," said Toroman, who steered the Iran national team to the Olympics and World Championship before taking over national coaching duties at Smart Gilas. "I'm really happy for Smart Gilas because I know we have the potential to make it big, with or without me," he added. Unlike in the London Games, the door to the FIBA Worlds is a little bit wider as the 2013 FIBA-Asia Championship, at a still unspecified venue stakes not just a lone berth but three spots to that elite tournament. "In Wuhan, Asia was given just one berth to the Olympics but in 2013, three slots will be given to Asia so we have a stronger chance to make a good run at it," said Toroman. Douthit, an American who was naturalized only this year to give Smart Gilas the needed inside lift, is expected to be the forefront of the Nationals' FIBA Worlds campaign as the 6-10 big man is expected to provide the muscle and heft the Phl traditionally lacks. Smart Gilas is also expected to re-absorb seven-footer Greg Slaughter and 6-6 Aldrech Ramos, who are currently playing for Ateneo and Far Eastern U in the ongoing UAAP cage wars, respectively, while getting an option to tap a vast array of talented collegiate players in the molds of Bobby Ray Parks of National U and Kiefer Ravena of Ateneo. Of course, there are the pros. "It's a big talented pool of players to choose from so the future looks bright for Smart Gilas," said Toroman. Link: www.philstar.com/SportsArticle.aspx?articleId=713959&publicationSubCategoryId=200
|
|
|
Post by feindouno on Aug 6, 2011 20:45:28 GMT 8
I think the fundamental flaw in the concept of Smart Gilas is the fact that it does not compose of the nation's best basketball players. I think the bigwigs of basketball in the country need to take a look at how other nations (and how football FA's) do it.
|
|
|
Post by fadzki on Aug 6, 2011 22:22:38 GMT 8
Jones Cup update: Smart Gilas beat Defending Champ. Iran
73-59...
|
|
|
Post by philyhsrightboot on Aug 6, 2011 22:22:46 GMT 8
^ the gilas program was created because of the national teams failure in international competitions.
|
|
|
Post by wenden96 on Aug 6, 2011 23:42:52 GMT 8
the gilas program is a good program....that is the true developmental program, a long term program...a collegiate stand-out became a force to reckon with...how much more if those line-up and exposure belongs to the PBA players.....with that I believe PHL basketball will be back in the asian map.
|
|
|
Post by feindouno on Aug 7, 2011 0:11:34 GMT 8
philyhsrightboot: Yeah I know. But in my opinion it's a flawed solution. Sure, an actual "team" which trains together all year long is good, since one of the main criticisms of the former national team is that they weren't cohesive enough. But is cohesion worth giving up a collectively better team? I still think that a "pool" of players composed of the best in the land would be better, though. And, besides, the more telling fact is that the taller nations in Asia have now learned how to play, and as time goes by our "familiarity" and "experience" with the sport will be negated.
|
|
|
Post by dan17808 on Aug 7, 2011 4:57:21 GMT 8
sorry to ask this: but do you think guys smart gilas will still be competitive without Douthit? I hate naturalization but other countries are doing it, so it's just fair. I missed the 1990 RP team and the centennial team.
|
|
|
Post by feindouno on Aug 7, 2011 8:35:13 GMT 8
Competitive? Yes. Competitive enough to be at least top three in Asia at this point in time? Probably not. Not that Douthit is anything special, but he does improve the team's interior D and rebounding ratio.
|
|
|
Post by rpbenchwarmer on Aug 8, 2011 17:34:47 GMT 8
Last night we won against host Chinese Taipei, 90-78. But today we succumbed to another Asian powerhouse Jordan, 76-72. Both teams exchanged 3 pointers down the stretch but our unforced errors punished us. One thing I noticed is that coach is using our PBA reinforcements a lot to jell together with the mainstays. The team is still working on cohesiveness so I'm being patient. In fact, Kelly Williams and Jimmy Alapag are still missing. My concern would be how these 2 players would jell with team in a span of 1 month.
|
|
|
Post by rpbenchwarmer on Aug 11, 2011 10:44:17 GMT 8
Koreans buck JV heroics, pip Gilas By Joey Villar (The Philippine Star) Updated August 11, 2011 12:00 AM MANILA, Philippines - South Korea withstood JV Casio’s brilliant offensive game then imposed its will in the paint before pouncing on Smart Gilas Pilipinas’ miscues down the stretch to pull off a 78-70 victory last night and clinch a berth in the semifinals of the William Jones Cup at the Hsinchuang Stadium in New Taipei City here. Oh Se Keun, a 6-7 brawny power forward, and Ha Seung Jin, the second tallest player here at 7-3, dominated the smaller Smart Gilas side on their way to 19 and 16 points, respectively, while pesky guard Yang Dong Geun fired four triples and finished with 17 points for the Koreans, who remained the only unbeaten team in the tournament with five wins. “Our inside and outside games worked and we played with defensive intensity,” said Hur Jae, a former national team standout now calling the shots for Korea, which is managed by another local legend Shin Dong Pa, through an interpreter. Casio came through with one of his prolific games and fired a game-high 27 points, including a spectacular 15-point splurge in the third quarter when the Nationals turned a 12-point deficit into two-point leads twice late in the period before Oh tied it at 56 entering the final period. Casio tried to carry the fight for Smart Gilas but lost steam in the last quarter, committing four turnovers in the final two minutes of play as the Nationals reeled to their second defeat against three wins to drop into a three-way tie for third with defending titlist Iran and Jordan. “Our turnovers late in the game cost us the win,” said Smart Gilas mentor Rajko Toroman, hoping to steer the team to its first title here since the Alaska-mentored Centennial squad went all the way in 1998. Despite the setback, Smart Gilas remains in the hunt for a semis berth although it must beat winless United Arab Emirates at 3 p.m. today. The Nationals close out their elims campaign against Japan at 5 p.m. tomorrow. The semis is set on Saturday with the finals slated Sunday. Toroman again lashed out at officiating after naturalized Marcus Douthit went into foul trouble early, slowing down the team’s offensive threat. He, however, finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. “The small referee made a crucial call and put Marcus out of the game,” said Toroman referring to a Malaysian ref, who was one of the three who officiated the controversial Taipei-Jordan game marred by a bench-clearing incident. “I changed him because of the bad call, they changed the game and Korea made the crucial run. Very, very bad referees and the level of refs are terrible, can’t follow the level of games internationally. “The last time two neutral refs officiating started the fight last night (Tuesday) and it’s a crime against basketball. They will continue and I don’t know what we can do but the officiating is not good with all the teams not just Smart Gilas,” he added. Earlier, defending back-to-back champion Iran needed a mighty second half push to wallop Malaysia, 69-49, to keep its flickering semifinal hopes and improve to a 3-2 (win-loss) slate. Jordan, which roared to a 3-0 start including a 76-72 win over Smart Gilas Monday, lost a second straight game to Japan in a stunning 70-87 defeat. The Jordanians earlier dropped a protest-marred 75-77 defeat to Chinese Taipei. Jordan put its Taipei loss under protest after the latter escaped sanction for a bench-clearing incident that happened early in the fourth quarter. “I think the game was inspirational for Taipei. They played intelligently. Unfortunately, they don’t deserve to win, neither deserved to win,” Baldwin said. “All of my 30 years in basketball, playing and coaching, this is the only game that lacked integrity almost from the beginning.” “There is a very simple rule, to protect the players and to prevent fights and brawls during games. Players leaving the bench must be disqualified in the game. No exemption to the rule. No excuse, they should be disqualified,” he added. Toroman, a veteran on the Asian circuit who steered Iran to the Olympics and FIBA Worlds, slammed the organizers and threatened to pull out the team if neutral referee of Hong Kong would continue to work the games. Baldwin, who snubbed the post game interview after the painful Japan loss, also warned they’re not playing if the Hong Kong referee, Yuen Chun Yip, will officiate their future games. Link: www.philstar.com/sportsarticle.aspx?publicationsubcategoryid=69&articleid=715548&keyword=sp_pba
|
|
|
Post by rpbenchwarmer on Aug 16, 2011 12:00:31 GMT 8
Toroman satisfied with Gilas' performanceby Camille Naredo, abs-cbnNEWS.com Posted at 08/16/2011 7:31 AM | Updated as of 08/16/2011 10:52 AM MANILA, Philippines – Smart Gilas Pilipinas head coach Rajko Toroman said he was satisfied with his wards’ performance in the 2011 William Jones Cup in Chinese Taipei. Smart Gilas settled for 3rd place in the tournament, defeating host Chinese Taipei 82-72. Iran, meanwhile, completed a 3-peat after a 66-59 win over South Korea. Toroman said that he was satisfied with the result, as this year’s Jones Cup was tougher than previous editions. "Last year, it was not a strong tournament," Toroman said in an interview with ANC’s Hardball. The Serbian mentor added that some teams, including Japan and Korea, did not participate in last year's Jones Cup. More teams took part in this year's tournament, which serves as a tune-up for the FIBA Asia Championship in September. "I think that it was a very difficult tournament, because you have to play 9 games in 9 days," Toroman said. "We went there with 12 players and we finished with 10," he added. Toroman said that Smart Gilas was very competitive, even with the other teams adding reinforcements. "Korea brought one naturalized player, Jordan also changed their coach and they played much better than last year," Toroman said. The nationals' bid for the championship was foiled by defending champion Iran, whose line-up included Hamed Haddadi of the Memphis Grizzlies. "It was a great, great competition, but it was very tough, very difficult for the players," Toroman said. Stronger team for FIBA Asia For the FIBA Asia tournament, Smart Gilas will be reinforced by PBA players Kelly Williams, Jimmy Alapag and Ranidel de Ocampo, all from Talk N Text. The 3 pros were unable to play in the Jones Cup as they are currently playing in the PBA Governors Cup Finals. Even with the added firepower, Toroman is expecting a difficult tournament. "It will be the strongest competition in the last... probably 6 years," Toroman said. He said that the national team scheduled another tournament in Doha, Qatar next week, and they are hoping that the Talk N Text players will be with the team by then. "With these 3 guys, we'll be more than competitive in FIBA Asia," Toroman promised. The FIBA Asia championship will be held in Wuhan, China on September 15-25. It will serve as the qualifying tournament for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The Philippines last won the FIBA Asia championship in 1985. This year, they are seeded with Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and China in Group D of the tournament. Link: www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/08/15/11/toroman-satisfied-gilas-performance
|
|
|
Post by sheajane80 on Aug 23, 2011 22:45:11 GMT 8
the gilas program is a good program....that is the true developmental program, a long term program...a collegiate stand-out became a force to reckon with...how much more if those line-up and exposure belongs to the PBA players.....with that I believe PHL basketball will be back in the asian map. back in the asian map? eh nahabol na nga ng mga arabo eh. di lang nahabol, napag-iwanan pa. don't expect na iran lang magaling sa mga yan, kasi ling din sa basketball yang ibang higanteng arab nations. kulelat sa skills yang mga arabong mga yan dati, pero sa height hindi. skills can be learned, height cannot.
|
|
|
Post by wenden96 on Aug 24, 2011 2:02:20 GMT 8
the gilas program is a good program....that is the true developmental program, a long term program...a collegiate stand-out became a force to reckon with...how much more if those line-up and exposure belongs to the PBA players.....with that I believe PHL basketball will be back in the asian map. back in the asian map? eh nahabol na nga ng mga arabo eh. di lang nahabol, napag-iwanan pa. don't expect na iran lang magaling sa mga yan, kasi ling din sa basketball yang ibang higanteng arab nations. kulelat sa skills yang mga arabong mga yan dati, pero sa height hindi. skills can be learned, height cannot. kung yan ang paniniwala mu....eh d problema mo na yan....smart gilas program....is a good program.....dahil indi umuusad ang program dahil na rin sa paniniwala mo......medyo tingnan mo muna ang stats sa 2 year stint ng gilas...admitted pandak tayo....pero see the result kahit papanu lumalaban pa na ang mga majority ng players came from amateurs.......
|
|