Junel Baculi, head coach for the national team to the William R. Jones Cup tournament in Taiwan this July, is hard-pressed to merely invite players to join the team and would no longer hold a large-scale tryout.

Baculi told the BusinessMirror there wouldn’t be enough time for a tryout and the coaching staff and management of Harbour Centre, headed by team owner Dr. Mikee Romero, would just hand-pick players they need for the annual tournament.

Harbour Centre agreed to a proposal by the Basketball Associaton of the Philippines-Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas that it handle the Jones Cup. Harbour Centre also sponsored the Southeast Asian Games team that won the gold medal last December.

“We’ll just invite players whom we think are needed in the team. Usually, our concern are the big men. Basically, we have only one month to prepare and I always believe in long preparations for international tournaments,” said Baculi.

“Of course, we will send the best team possible. We are analyzing that together with our godfather Mikee Romero and team manager Erick Arejola. Our approach will be the same as the one we used in the last Southeast Asian Games [Thailand, 2007],” he added.

Preparations for the Jones Cup has yet to go full swing because the players they would be inviting are still vying in the ongoing Philippine Basketball League (PBL) Lipovitan Amino Sports Cup which is expected to end in the first week of June. The Taiwan cagefest will start on the second week of July.

Compounding Baculi’s woes is the availability of the reinforcements from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

“That’s the problem. Will the PBA allow its players to join us in our training? If they say yes, that’s definitely a big help for us,” said Baculi.

The PBA agreed to lend four players from the three clubs which will be eliminated early in the ongoing Fiesta Cup.

“We’re still working out if we can form an all-amateur team in case these PBA players are not available. If not, we can always hire an import because I believe that’s allowed in the Jones Cup,” he added.

Baculi said Romero wants an 8-4 (amateur-professional players) combination on the team. But he said there is no guarantee this will be followed because everything would depend on the availability of the PBA players.

The Philippines last won the Jones Cup in 1998 under head coach Tim Cone, who brought in the celebrated Centennial Team of professionals who were then honing for the Bangkok Asian Games. The country first won the Jones Cup title in 1985 with Ron Jacobs at the helm, while the team of Chot Reyes finished third last year.

Because there are no major Fiba tournaments this year, Baculi expects other countries to send club teams to the Jones Cup.

“We don’t know if they will still send their national teams. They might send their club teams but just the same, the competition will still be tough,” said Baculi.  Joel Orellana

MERCEDESTROPHY ON TODAY

LOCAL favorite Bones Floro appeared to have the upperhand because of his knowledge of the course, but he knows it won’t be a guarantee for him to dominate the centerpiece Class A division of the third MercedesTrophy National Final, which tees off Monday at the world-class Sta. Elena Golf Club in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Pressed for time for Jones Cup

Junel Baculi, head coach for the national team to the William R. Jones Cup tournament in Taiwan this July, is hard-pressed to merely invite players to join the team and would no longer hold a large-scale tryout.

REIGNING champion Ronnie Alcano recovered from three racks down to nip Liu Haitao of China, 3-2, for his second straight and a spot in the next stage of the 2008 World 8-Ball Championship at the Amir Billiards Club in Fujairah City, United Arab Emirates.

WITH the return of Jason Castro and Al Vergara and the acquisition of Boyet Bautista, many thought that Tyrone Tang will be just playing a support role for Harbour Centre in the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) Lipovitan Amino Sports Cup.

MANILA remained the only undefeated team in the Baseball Philippines Series III tournament.

This, after the Sharks beat the previously undefeated Antipolo Pilgrims, 11-5, Sunday for its fourth victory in the tournament played at the Rizal Memorial Ballpark.

The flights of infancy

AS a young boy, Noli Eala was left to fend for himself. Many of his ideas are products of his childhood when he’d create his own games. A shopping bag was a makeshift hoop with a monopoly board as the backboard. Rulers and pencils served as ramps for motorcycles where his matchboxes were micro versions of Evel Knievel.