PROOF that the Philippines is among the preferred basketball destinations in the world are the numerous foreign coaches inquiring about the Gilas Pilipinas job.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al S. Panlilio disclosed receiving queries from coaches around the world since the federation bared plans to hire a European mentor for the national team following the resignation of Yeng Guiao.
“Marami ang nag-a-apply. A lot of them are American and European coaches,” said Panlilio.

Incidentally, among the coaches without a job by the end of the World Cup was Serbian mentor Sasha Djordjevic following the team’s failure to even land a podium finish after being considered the favorites to win the championship.
Djordjevic is best remembered for his ‘lacking quality’ jab at Gilas Pilipinas following its blowout loss to Serbia at the World Cup.
Panlilio didn’t mention any names, saying the SBP’s focus at the moment is the coming campaign in the 30th Southeast Asian Games, with no less than multi-titled coach Tim Cone handling the defending champions.
“Ang dami kong nakukuhang applicants. Of course, I don’t know these people, but they’re sending messages of interest,” Panlilio added.
SBP executive director Sonny Barrios said he, too, has been receiving steady stream of messages from coaches signifying their interest in the Philippine position.
Panlilio, however, isn’t discounting the likelihood of appointing a Filipino coach to be in-charge of the Gilas program anew, although Cone mentioned about being aware that his appointment was just a stop-gap measure for the coming SEA Games.
Panlilio added the SBP will have to sit down again after the SEA Games to lay down a program geared towards the next Fiba World Cup which the country is hosting in 2023.
“I think we need to have a strategy of how we move forward, and after that, we will do a formal search for a coach,” he said.
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