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Forecasts can either crush coal or turn it into diamond.
Mikee Romero is banking on the second to happen.
The
Harbour Centre team owner and chief overseer of the RP
basketball team that will play in the country’s first
Southeast Asian Games in four years went boldly where no
other man dare to go: a championship guarantee.
“We will
assure you,” Romero declared, “that we will bring home
the gold medal.”
The last
thing a basketball fan wants now is to see another Team
Pilipinas crash and burn. With the success of boxing—pro
boxing, that is—dominating the country’s consciousness,
basketball, particularly the one played in Thailand a
few weeks from now, will be under tremendous scrutiny.
And with
Romero’s win-or-bust prognostication, the SEA Games 12
will be under tremendous pressure as well.
“The
guys really showed what they are capable of doing,”
Romero gushed at yesterday’s Philippine Sportswriters
Association Forum at the Shakey’s United Nation’s
Avenue. “They showed that they really deserve to be on
the national team.”
The team
finished a series of tune-up matches recently in
Singapore. Before that, question marks (coming from
within the team even) hovered over the Nationals’
capability, like vultures sensing death.
After
Singapore, the only thing flying around has been
hallelujahs.
“We will
not lose in the SEA Games,” Romero exalted. “We will
make sure of this.”
The
inclusion of Gabe Norwood, the most significant addition
to the team, and the country’s sweep of four exhibition
matches in Singapore are fueling optimism.
Both
factors were actually present in Team Pilipinas version
1.0 that saw action in the Olympic qualifiers in Japan.
But not even Norwood’s addition coupled with respectable
results in a series of tuneup tournaments could save
that team’s campaign in the Fiba-Asia wars.
Of
course, the SEA Games are leagues inferior to the Asian
championships, and the Philippines is a known bully on
the block.
But on a
team that has players with no prior international
experience (except for Norwood) and against opposing
teams that have rosters playing together tight far
longer, the word “threat” has never sounded more real in
this supposed gimme tournament Filipinos have won every
year except in 1989.
That
only goes to show how quickly the neighbors are catching
up. And coach Junel Baculi acknowledges this.
“All
Fiba referees always say that Indonesia is a very strong
team,” the national coach said, adding that Indonesia
plays like the Philippines, Malaysia like South Korea
and Thailand, a mixture of the Philippines and Malaysia.
Baculi
added that to “fully hone the team,” the Nationals hope
to play at least two more tuneup games against
professionals.
Baculi,
whose best asset as a coach is that he isn’t easily
satisfied, admitted that the
Singapore
trip was, at the most, helpful to the team.
“Nag-improve
siguro ang mental toughness namin. Kahit
malalaki ang mga kalaban, we came out winners,” said
Baculi.
Baculi
said there’s pressure coming from different quarters,
but he feels that whoever makes it to the final roster
has what it takes to help the country win the gold.
“We’ve
been trying to analyze this team everyday. And we don’t
want duplication of roles,” Baculi said.
Chino
Trinidad, commissioner of the Philippine Basketball
League from which all personnel of Team Pilipinas come
from, kept his comments real and grounded.
“Ito
ang pinakamahabang preparation for the SEA Games,”
he said. “I hope na unti-unti nating mabalik ang
respeto sa Philippine basketball.”
“We’ve
been preparing hard,” Baculi said. “The players are
ready to regain the gold medal that we’ve always won
except for one instance. Our resolve is hard.”
And the
rest of the region is lying in wait to test that
statement. |
