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    COLUMN: What's SBP waiting for? Sign Tab Baldwin for life

    In Tab We Trust
    Jul 1, 2021
    PHOTO: fiba.basketball
    spin zone

    CHICAGO - Like a down-on-his-luck jackpot dreamer buying a lottery ticket, I had negative expectations while watching Gilas play powerhouse Serbia at the OQT out there in Belgrade today.

    Ranked No.5 in the world and with two active NBA players on their roster, the host Serbians looked unbeatable, unimpeachable.

    In contrast, our troops were a mere 31st in the Fiba rankings. Already underrated and under-appreciated, we were also undermanned without Dwight Ramos.

    As expected from a young team with an average age of 22 and so thin with international experience, it suffered a mild case of stage fright and quickly went down 13-4 in the opening quarter.

    And when the Serbs raced to a 56-40 charge at the 6:35 mark in the third stanza, the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall was about to explode and I was ready to watch our national team submit its surrender papers.

    Serbia vs Gilas in OQT.

    And then out of nowhere, on the strength of different heroics from multiple faces and varying sizes, Gilas unleashed a crippling 34-17 run that carried them over to a stunning 74-73 lead with only 3:50 left to play.

    In the end, it took a 7-foot-3, 290-pound Boban Marjanovic to repel the Philippines' gallant stand and drag Serbia to a slim and shaky, 83-76, finish.

    A loss is a loss and this one stings the same, even more so because we got oh so close.

    Moral victories are for losers and underachievers.

    BUT INSTEAD OF FEELING BLUE, I AM CHANNELING RED, WHITE AND PROUD.

    I've covered 17 NBA Finals and have been to hundreds of regular season and playoffs games since 2000 but nothing excites me more than to root for our flag.

    And this assembled group of young guys have given me hope for the future.

    Ange Kouame had a turnover-free 17 points and 7 rebounds. He should be a lock as our resident big in the years to come.

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    Kai Sotto did not blow us away, just 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting from the field and 0-for-3 from 3, but that's okay. Given what he had to go through to make the team - the incessant travel, the quarantine, etc - he gave more than enough.

    William Navarro of Gilas in action vs Serbia in OQT.

    Jordan Heading is destined for bigger, greater things. He gave us a glimpse of that promise with a 15-point effort that he laced with a pair of rebounds, three assists and a steal.

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    With their length and shooting range, the upside on Justine Baltazar and Carl Tamayo are tremendous. Our point guards - 5-foot-10 Sanjosef Belangel and 5-foot-8 RJ Abarrientos - are short but sassy, unafraid to take the big shots.

    Despite the challenges of a pandemic, we did somehow put together a balanced, competitive squad to Belgrade and the SBP deserves credit for that. I pray they don't somehow eff this good thing up.

    AS FOR TAB BALDWIN, SIGN THIS MAN FOR LIFE TO OVERSEE, COACH AND DO WHATEVER HE PLEASES WITH OUR NATIONAL PROGRAM.

    He is a taskmaster who prepared our guys well. A composed leader who didn't panic when Serbia imposed its will. And a brilliant in-game tactician who appeared to have a Plan B,C D and E when Plan A didn't work.

    I can now fully understand why the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP) frowns on foreigners coaching in the PBA.

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    Insecure, it feels incredibly threatened by mental giants such as Baldwin whose coaching brain swells with imagination and innovation.

    If this New Zealander originally from Florida is allowed to take his talents to the pro ranks, I honestly believe the only PBA coaching jobs that will not be subject to change are those being held by Tim Cone and Norman Black.

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      At 2:30 am, our sleep-deprived nation either wakes up or stays awake at pre-dawn for the second time in 24 hours

      The 19th-ranked Domincan Republic is next.

      Because of the quick turnaround plus the physical and emotional drain of the Serbia game, I expect a loss in this one.

      But I'm prepared to be surprised by our boys, eager to see what magic Baldwin has in store.

      Puso.

      Laban Pilipinas.

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      PHOTO: fiba.basketball
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