Philippine basketball and transitions

I’m writing this after the Powerade-RP team lost to Jordan in the ABC Games. At the start of the game, I was still shouting with glee, until these turned to feeble moans when they started losing in the third quarter.

We all know, unless you’re prone to denial, that the country has lost its luster when it comes to the game – the last time we reached the Olympics was 1972, and the recent performance of the Powerade team punctuated the fact. From what I’ve read, three reasons for this stand out: 1) playing internationally is wayyyyyyyyyyyy different from playing locally, 2) physically, Filipinos are not built for it (too short), and 3) we really don’t have a national program to train players for international stints.

Well, at least until recently.

SMART Gilas was formed to resolve the third problem. Composed of collegiate players (locals, Fil-Ams, and would-be naturalized Pinoy/s), their mission is to reach the 2012 Olympics. The Samahan ng Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has hired a Serbian coach, Rajko Toroman, who had managed to get Iran into the recent Olympics, develop the national program and coach the team. What about the PBA team? From what my brother has told me, this is their last outing as the national team.

Of course, the move is not without its critics who voice them out in sports pages, forums, and blogs. Criticisms such as ‘Why is the coach not Filipino?’, ‘Tried that tactic before (Danding Cojuangco days) and it did not work,’ and concerns, ‘What will happen to the PBA?’

I admit, I’m excited for the Gilas team’s prospects: young players to be honed and committed to the “mission” for three years, coached by someone experienced in the European-style basketball and connected enough in the international basketball community. I’m having flashbacks of the time when the nation was excited, happy, and cheering – when Onyok was competing in the Olympics (should have won gold), when Eric Buhain was winning medal after medal at the Southeast Asian games, and of course, when the Jaworski-led team got the silver medal in the Asian games. Sports truly gives a sense of pride and unites people.

So what about the criticisms and concerns?

I don’t think having a non-Filipino director/coach of the national team matters. We now live in a global world and whoever is competent enough should get a shot at it. Misplaced nationalism has no place in these times – when mobility and interconnectedness is the name of the game. More importantly, it is a chance to learn.
Of course, some PBA officials might be feeling anxious as this might mean that the league would no longer be relevant. But we can think about this differently: it is a chance to change a system that may no longer be working. Why not transition the league, imbue it with the developmental program, so that in the end, you get internationally-competitive players who can play professionally just like in Europe? Pride and ego will not get us anywhere.
We cannot do anything about our genes – if we’re short, then we’re short. I think the key here is to tailor plays that fit us. The Korean team, at one point, had short players, but they excelled because even if they were short, they relied on their speed instead of their height. Also, remember that when the NBA lost the Olympics, they fielded a dedicated NBA team to compete internationally for three years and incorporated the amateur-style of play. However, our players are not of NBA- caliber yet – they’re athleticism is different from us; presently, on an individual basis, I doubt if we can pull one over them, so I think relying heavily on teamwork and playing to our strengths (whatever those are) are important.
I also think this is might give more options for Filipinos dreaming of making it in basketball to explore other leagues other than the PBA. I remember having read that Willie Miller, if he was discovered earlier, could have made it to the US NCAA, and maybe the NBA eventually. The problem was no one saw or knew about him. Our point guards (Johnny Abarrientos and Jimmy Alapag, among others) have been said to be the best in Asia. So to expose these “kids” to the international arena would be great – if they do really well, then people would perhaps start scouting here. Just think – there might be someone in a far-flung town playing in a dirt court right now who is truly gifted to play this game.
And that’s where the national program kicks in – to discover Pinoys excellent at the game locally and abroad, give them the training needed to compete globally, prepare them mentally (and I hope, psychologically, too), and to bring together a team that’s not banking on individual talent but their cohesiveness as one unit (which is what basketball was meant to be – a team game).

So why do we love this game when the odds are clearly against us? Of course, one can say that it’s because of American influence, but international basketball right now isn’t dominated by the Americans anymore, so basketball too has evolved – and perhaps it’s about time that the Philippine standard of play evolve with the rest of the countries who love it.

If you want more information on SMART Team Gilas, you can go to the SBP website here. This site and Chris Tiu’s blog for their adventures and misadventures. I’ll be tracking the team’s development because I believe in their mission and the way they’ve been doing things (so far), besides it’ll be kind of exciting to see how the “kids” would improve (or not ). There will be many disappointments, I’m sure, but what have we got to lose? Maybe this is our last hurrah. But maybe, just maybe – they’d be able to make it to the London Olympics! Hindi naman masama ang mangarap (It doesn’t hurt to dream).