By RICKIE SANTOS
THE Malaysia Basketball Association posted pictures on its Facebook page of the teams competing in the FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers this weekend in Kuala Lumpur.
From the looks of it, with no team parading giants or naturalized players, the Philippines should be going through the competition unscathed.
Gilas Pilipinas Youth takes on the hosts today, Thailand on Saturday, and Indonesia on Sunday in the regional meet’s final day.
The young Pinoy dribblers are the hands-down favorites to win the four-nation cagefest to claim the single SEABA slot reserved for the FIBA U18 Asia Cup to be played in Amman, Jordan from September 2 to 9.
This early, Gilas Youth have to make sure no debacles happen like the ones the Philippines' Under-17 national team suffered just recently in Turkey, where the Filipinos ended dead last, 16th out of 16 squads.
READ: Gilas Youth dead last at U17 World Cup after 62-point loss to Aussies
Just to refresh everyone’s memories, in the preliminaries, our team lost all three games by a total of 166 points. Still, we advanced to the Round of 16 where we faced and lost to powerhouse and eventual champion US by a 141-45 mauling.
Then in classification play, we dropped games to Argentina (83-67) and China (85-66).
Will there be a repeat if and when our Under-19 team books a seat for next year’s FIBA U19 World Cup?
Positive outlook for Gilas Youth
We hope that doesn't happen, of course.
But first, we should take care of business in Amman. Our Asian neighbors will not hand tickets to the big FIBA U19 joust on a silver platter, as everyone is shooting for a World Cup appearance.
With Asia Cup hostilities starting just six weeks from now, coach Josh Reyes would probably still handle Gilas Youth in Jordan, controversial or not.
READ: Andy Gemao leads Gilas Pilipinas Youth in FIBA U18 Asia Cup SEABA qualifiers
His team playing now in Kuala Lumpur has its fair share of young talent. Obviously, uber-athletic Andy Gemao is the brightest star, being named Finals MVP in the 2024 National Basketball Training Center National Finals last March.
But Reyes has other weapons in his arsenal, as well. Long-range sniper Earl Medina of Adamson who has been making college coaches and backers drooling will make his buckets, and so will Joaqui Ludovice of UST. Baby Falcon playmaker Mark Esperanza knows how to direct the offense, and the nationals do have handful of players standing no shorter than 6-foot-5.
But the opposition in Jordan will be much stronger, so new additions will be welcome. Our boys will have one whole month to go for training camps. All vital team members should be present and coaches are hoping that Gemao can make it to Amman, as in earlier interviews, he said he will be flying back to the US by the end of July to report back to school.
Once Lady Luck again smiles on us and our Gilas Youth claims a place in the big tourney in Lausanne, Switzerland, that’s when the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) big bosses can move in and tweak the roster in time for the FIBA U19 wars.
SBP Executive Director Erika Dy and talent identification head Norman Black are in the US to oversee the SBP Las Vegas Showcase, where officials not only saw young Fil-Am talents up front, but also also sat down with basketball groups to discuss the national team program.
READ: Gilas Youth determined to build on FIBA U17 World Cup run
Also in attendance was Consul Maynard Maleon of the Philippine Embassy to talk about the dual citizenship process for Gilas prospects.
There are now a lot of youth basketball tournaments both here and abroad that our Gilas Youth can join. And there's no doubt PBA teams are always ready to be kuyas in helping our young nationals in any way they can.
Continuing player development? No problem.
Embarrassing defeats suffered by our Gilas Youth on the big stage could be a thing of the past.
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.
