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TOKUSHIMA—If
only votes of confidence can translate into victories,
then the Philippines’ hopes of an Olympic berth would
still be alive.
Several
foreign coaches, who have been smitten by the gung-ho
play of the Filipinos, are lamenting the fact that the
Nationals didn’t make it into the quarterfinals.
Samer
Kayali, the Syrian head coach, said the Philippines
could’ve gone deeper into the tournament.
“I know
it’s tough for your team to be in this game, but you are
a good team that plays hard,” Kayali said, describing
the RP team’s 107-100 victory over Syria less than 24
hours after the Philippines was eliminated from title
contention.
“We
tried to keep up with you, but we were not fortunate.
[Filipinos] are good enough to play for the
championship, who knows?”
Earlier,
the coaches of
Iran
and Jordan also praised the efforts and skills of the
Filipinos, something
Asia has not seen for two years when the country was banned by
Fiba.
When
asked what he thought about the Philippines before his
Jordan team faced the Filipinos Monday, Mario Palma
didn’t mince his words.
“Compared with other groups, any team in [Group A] has a
shot at winning the championship,” the head coach of
Jordan said. “It’s just unfortunate that the draw forced
the Philippines and our team to be in this group of
death.”
Foreign
flavor.
Apparently, the surefire recipe for reversing a team’s
fortune is acquiring the aid of an American import.
Jordan,
Japan and Lebanon are three countries who have beefed up
their lineup with one naturalized player, a move that
not only conforms to Fiba standards (which allow a team
to only have just one such player on its roster), but
has helped immensely the campaigns of all three
countries in the Fiba-Asia Championships.
Rasheim
Wright, a Division Two player in the US NCAA, is the
starting shooting guard for
Jordan.
Never drafted into the NBA, the six-foot-three Wright,
26, has been a pivotal player for Jordan in the Fiba
Asia championships. He scored 31 points in Jordan’s
78-65 rout of China, and tore up the RP team’s defenses
two days later by scoring a game-high 24 in Jordan’s
84-76 victory.
A taller
version of Willie Miller, Wright, fourth in the
tournament in scoring with 21.4 points in four games, is
a defensive-matchup nightmare who can break down
defenses with penetrating moves and open the half court
with long-range bombs.
JR
Henderson of
Japan
owns the most prolific credentials among the “naturalizeds.”
The six-foot-nine forward-center, who uses the name JR
Sakuragi, is a product of UCLA and was part of the
Bruins’ 1995 NCAA championship team. Not really an
offensive force in the tournament here, Henderson has
been utilized as an effective utility player who can
control paint activities with rebounding and defense,
something that complements the high-octane offense of
the young Japanese.
Joe
Vogel, who has been playing for Lebanon for years, is an
alumnus of Colorado State U and was born in
Nebraska.
A second-round draft pick in the NBA like Henderson,
Vogel, 38, is a scoring machine down low, although age
has stolen some of the thunder on the six-foot-11
center. Still, on the Asian level, where seven-footers
are scarce, Vogel is a force to be reckoned with and
together with high-scoring teammate Fadi el-Khatib, they
form one of the most potent inside-outside combos in the
tournament.
Not
aging like wine.
If the plan to send pros to the World Championships in
2010 materializes, then half of the current roster may
not be on the team by that time because they would be 33
or older.
Asi
Taulava, the biggest—literally—post presence who has
worn the Philippine colors, will be 37 by then. Another
big man, Eric Menk, will be 36 years old. Mick Pennisi,
a rare combination of height and a consistent outside
hand, will be 35.
Two of
the top point guards on the team—Jay-Jay Helterbrand and
Jimmy Alapag—will be 34 and 33 years old, respectively.
Dondon Hontiveros, a key figure in two foreign sojourns
that include the current Fiba Asia championships and the
Asian Games in 2002, will be 33 as well.
Actually, replacing them will be more challenging than
it looks because, No. 1, they play the most critical
positions on the team (dominant centers and cerebral
playmakers), and No. 2, Filipinos haven’t seen anyone
coming in recently to match the bulk of, say, Taulava,
or the wits of Alapag.
To
include the London Olympics in 2012, the Samahang
Basketball ng Pilipinas would stand to lose all but
three players in the current roster. Only Kerby Raymundo,
who will be 31 when the England Games commence, Kelly
Williams (27) and Gabe Norwood (25), have a realistic
chance of making it to the Olympiad, barring any injury,
of course.
Time
will tell how fast new names will step into the
spotlight, but whether time will be on Team Pilipinas’s
side in time for 2010 is still up in the air. |
