VETERAN international coach Rajko Toroman believes the future is bright for Philippine basketball especially after witnessing how a youth-laden Gilas cadets team manhandled Thailand in the Fiba Asia Cup Qualifying second window over the weekend.
Without stating the obvious, Toroman said he still believes the all-cadets training team, something that was done during his time with the original Gilas Pilipinas side in 2009, is still the best model for the Philippine national team.
The Serbian coach said the youth-laden national side he saw in the Manama qualifiers gives the Gilas program solid building blocks with its combination of athleticism, superb outside shooting and chemistry.
“Tough guys. They’re very athletic, very young yet they play amazing. I was very impressed with this Gilas team. Their confidence was sky-high, their shooting was astonishing. Very talented generation of players,” said Toroman.
Asked if it’s fair to assess Gilas based only on its games versus Thailand, a usual prey in for the Filipinos, the 65-year old bench tactician nodded.
"Thailand is not a bad team at all. They gave Korea a hard time. You have to understand that it’s also a tough opponent. They apply too much press, match-up zone, which was unusual, not so many teams play that,” he said.
Toroman is in fact optimistic that the Philippines can form a formidable lineup in the run-up to the 2023 Fiba World Cup, with the core of this team beefed up by youngsters AJ Edu and Kai Sotto, a naturalized player, and three to four PBA stars.
The Serbian mentor thinks that with Sotto and Edu manning the paint, together with a very capable naturalized player, the Philippines can hold its own against highly rated Asia-Oceania teams like China, New Zealand, Australia, and Iran.
"They cannot dominate the Asian level yet, because there is Australia and New Zealand now and also China. But they can surprise and beat these teams. The Filipinos can be very, very competitive,” he said.
"You remember the last time, the Philippines met Australia? Australia beat the Philippines via a wide margin, but with Sotto and Edu, the Filipinos can be very competitive against the Aussies,” he added.
Does the Philippines still need players from the PBA, he was asked.
"Yes, they will need the PBA. Three or four players from the PBA can give the team the needed experience. I have no idea what is the plan, it’s up for the SBP, but for me, these guys surprise me. I believe they can look much better in the future,” said Toroman.
Toroman, however, refused to name PBA players who can make good as addition to the team as he’d rather give the designated Gilas coach and the SBP the liberty to choose.
"You have a very nice generation of young, talented players, how the SBP will handle this, it’s up to them. They should keep this core,” said the former Petron (San Miguel Beer) coach.
Asked if it’s high time the Philippines revert to an all-amateur national team like the original Gilas, Toroman has a curt reply: “I like that program, that’s the best program for Philippines, but it will still depend on the SBP and its stakeholders.”
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
