|
 CHINA’S
national coach stressed something is missing in the RP
basketball team that might hinder its dream of breaking
into the Olympics again.
Adiljan,
the Chinese legendary player turned coach, said the
Philippines is still lacking a very important factor:
teamwork.
Speaking
through an interpreter, Adiljan said: “The RP cagers are
talented and are abundant in skills but they have to
learn to play together to reach the world-class level.”
“The RP
team can’t win against the best in
Asia on individual effort. One-on-one play is fitted for the
Americans since they can score easily and burn the hoops
with spectacular dunks, and that’s another level,” said
Adiljan.
China’s
B team defeated the Filipinos, 77-74, in the Smart
Four-Nation Manila Invitational last week in what
Adiljan claims as his team’s first international
tournament.
“No
doubt, in Asia, [the] Philippines is a strong team, but
you play individually, focusing on one-on-one play like
in the NBA [National Basketball Association]. It’s good,
but you can never win a basketball game, particularly
against
China
if you can’t play teamwork,” he added.
Adiljan
was a member of the team that won four gold medals in
the Asian Games including a victory against a Philippine
team coached by Robert Jaworski in Beijing in 1990.
“My team
is composed of players 19 years old and under. They are
part of the training pool, but Filipinos failed to raise
the level of their game. Yes, Filipinos won the title,
but we beat your team and that is a strong signal that
RP team needs more sacrifices and training,” he said.
“[Beating China] is now the standard criterion in the
Asian level. In the world level where teams from Eastern
European countries are the top contenders, the
Philippines should give extra effort and dedication to
reach the Olympics,” Adiljan added.
The
Philippines is bracketed with China, Jordan and Iran in
the FIBA Olympic qualifying set from July 28 to August 5
in
Tokushima,
Japan. |
