HOPE springs eternal goes the saying. And so, American Coach Tab Baldwin had included June Mar Fajardo, Marc Pingris and LA Tenorio in the 16-man pool for the Gilas Team seeing action in the Fiba Asia Cup next month in China.
This, after the three had begged off from the squad—with Fajardo citing a foot injury, Pingris personal reasons and Tenorio fatigue.
I can’t fault Baldwin. He sees wisdom behind his move in the sense that Fajardo’s injury might not be that serious, Pingris’s trip to Paris to be with his French father might not take that long and Tenorio winded out could be remedied in time for the tournament set from September 23 to October 3 in China’s Changsha, Hunan Province.
Six weeks or so from today can make wonders and it is nice that Baldwin recognizes the trio’s importance to the team, that’s why he has not completely shut the door on them. In fact, they are shoo-ins to the Final 12 the minute they reconsider their decisions.
But the major thing that Baldwin had factored in is the fact Fajardo, Pingris and Tenorio were part of both the well-loved 2013 and 2014 Gilas teams.
They were major cogs in our runner-up finish in the 2013 Fiba Asia Cup that pushed Gilas to the 2014 Fiba Worlds, where we defied the odds in Spain by putting up gallant stands and nearly defeating the giants but for some unlucky breaks marring our endgame offensive.
Fajardo’s massive 6-foot-10 frame, 6-foot-5 Pingris’s tactical maneuvers as a power forward and Tenorio’s wile as a 5-foot-9 point guard that made him a recent MVP in the Jones Cup could be crucial in our quest for the gold in China.
It is that singular medal—hard as it may seem to snatch in a tournament among the region’s giants—that could bring us back to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro next year and end a 44-year absence for the Philippines in Olympiad play.
Our last Olympic basketball stint was in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, featuring the likes of Robert Jaworski and Freddie Webb, who are still very much around, and the late Alberto “Big Boy” Reynoso.
Naturalized Andray Blatche is back from the US and is ready once more to anchor Gilas built from 11 of the 13 remaining hopefuls—Jayson Castro, Ranidel de Ocampo, Matt Ganuelas-Rosser, Kelly Williams, Asi Taulava, Terrence Romeo, Aldrech Ramos, Gary David, JC Intal, Gabe Norwood, Sonny Thoss, Dondon Hontiveros and Calvin Abueva.
I have no issues with anyone, except Abueva. If and when finally picked, can he promise to behave by his ancestors’ grave?
OK, I am also not 100 percent in favor of Baldwin. I simply find it ironic that for a country such as ours so basketball-mad, we call a foreigner again and not our own kind to coach our team. Seemingly, the country’s Olympic dream can only be alive with an American at the helm. Next thing we hear, Michael Jordan is coaching the national quintet.
Who said colonial mentality is dead?
THAT’S IT. I wish we could win our bid to host the 2019 Fiba World Cup. It’d help showcase once more our world-renown ability to host global events. China would be a tough foe, but with some luck, we might yet clinch it in Tokyo on Friday….The remains of my eldest brother, Kuya Boy (Manuel S. Mendoza), will be laid to rest tomorrow, Thursday, at Loyola in Marikina City. He was good to all, and he loved everyone with all his heart whether relative or not, as he had profoundly exemplified when he was chief of the Morong (Bataan) Refugee Camp for the war-ravaged Vietnamese awaiting relocation overseas. He devoted his life with selfless service to our displaced neighbors like they were his own brethren. Thank you for your prayers.