JIMMY Alapag was impressed with the play of SJ Belangel and RJ Abarrietos inside the Clark bubble for the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers, giving his approval with the choice for playmakers for this batch.
"Great start for SJ and RJ," Alapag told Hoops Life. "I think the point guard position is in good hands."
Belangel and Abarrientos' talents are already well documented, but to step their game up for Gilas, all the more against Korea twice in this window and win at that, is what makes Alapag happier.
"Because Matt Nieto was out, and I know he's been kind of the primary point guard for this Gilas team, I think they stepped in and really ran the team really well," he said.
"SJ showed a lot of poise, hit some big shots, was able to get guys involved. And that's really what you want for the national team. So I thought he stepped in and did a great job. And RJ was also one who played really well. I think they just showed coach Tab and the staff that they're more than capable of holding down the position as well."
Belangel passed the acid test in taking the role of the starting point guard in all three games this window, posting 7.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 21.4 minutes, but more importantly, hit the game-winning bucket in Gilas' dramatic 81-78 victory over Korea last Wednesday.
Abarrientos, meanwhile, was just a spark plug off the bench as he normed 8.3 points, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 rebounds in 13.8 minutes of action.
"They played with a lot of poise, and I think that's really important for a point guard. This is just the qualifier and the competition will get better," Alapag said of the two.
"So I think for them, they just have to continue to sharpen up their game, get a little stronger because as you play against tougher competition, when these other countries see the smaller guards, they just try to beat you up. So you got to be able to really take those bumps along the way during the game."
Alapag expects the players to get much better as they stay together and develop chemistry.
"I just hope that these guys continue to grow and continue to improve. The biggest thing is just getting better together," he said.
"I really look back at our time in 2013 and 2014, and our biggest strength on top of our experience and what we did in the PBA was just our camaraderie and our chemistry," he said of that famed Gilas group which included Marc Pingris, Gabe Norwood, LA Tenorio, and Ranidel de Ocampo, to name a few, who won the silver medal in the 2013 Fiba Asia Championship to earn a spot in the 2014 Fiba World Cup in Spain.
"I love those guys and those guys are my brothers for life. What we did on the court and the time that we spent together off the court, that's what people saw when we played against Korea or in Spain - that chemistry and that camaraderie we had."
If the program continues, then Alapag has no doubt that this crew can make the same impact, or maybe more, heading into the 2023 Fiba World Cup and beyond.
"If this team can find a way to have that going into the future tournaments and into the World Cup in 2023, I think they'll be in good shape," he said.
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