“I THINK you know that it is not easy.”
Veselin Matic, the head coach of the Iranian national men’s basketball team, was in Manila for the 22nd Fiba-Asia Champions Cup. The 51-year-old Serbian, who successfully picked up where compatriot Rajko Toroman left off following a Fiba-Asia Championship in 2007 and slot in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, also guided the Iranian team to its second consecutive Fiba-Asia Championship with a 70-52 win over China in 2009.
In Manila for a few days to follow his Iranian national players who were with Mahram, Matic commented about the fortunes of Smart Gilas-Pilipinas.
“It takes time for the program to grow. Smart Gilas is getting better but you decide what you want—a strong national team or a strong club competition. It is good that there is a program where the coach is in control. But the players need to commit. You cannot have players missing for one tournament, missing in another. Chemistry will be a problem.”
Matic, who speaks four languages, has coached in the top tier divisions of five countries. He has also served as head coach of the Junior Yugoslavian national team and as an assistant to the senior national team that won the European title in 2001 and the Fiba-World Championship in Indianapolis in 2002.
The players on that Vetislav Pesic-coached world champion team included Peja Stojakovic, Dejan Bodiroga, Vladimir Radmanovic, Marko Jaric and recent Manila visitor Vlade Divac, among others.
“Who would know that Iran would qualify for [the 2008 Summer Olympics],” he said. “Who would know that they would win the Fiba-Asia not once but two times? And they have won the Fiba Champions Cup four consecutive years?”
He added: “It can be done for the Philippines. It is on the right track but there must be great patience.”
Unsure whether seven-foot-four center Hamad Haddadi would join the Iranian team for the Borislav Stankovic Cup in China (August 1 to 9) unless the Memphis Grizzlies release him for national duty, Matic said it was imperative that a pool of players and a youth program is essential in maintaining one’s competitiveness and strength.
“It is hard to rely too much on one player so I am always looking at finding and developing new players,” he said.
“The Philippines has good players like No. 6 [Jayvee Casio], No. 7 [Dondon Hontiveros], No. 9 [Japeth Aguilar] and others,” pointed out Matic. “The others are good as well but are small in size. The Champions Cup shows that and for Fiba it is different because now you are competing with the national teams. The program is there. It’s a good start. It should continue.”
In Photo: Iran’s Serbian head coach Veselin Matic stresses on the players’ commitment.
