ONE look at the present-day Gilas Pilipinas team and Rajko Toroman is left impressed.
Back in the country to take on a new role as consultant of Converge in the PBA and College of St. Benilde in the NCAA, Toroman dropped by Gilas' tuneup game against Ivory Coast on Friday anb obviously liked what he saw.
READ: Toroman back as consultant for Converge, Benilde
“They have size, everything, even the guys who have international exposure like Kiefer Ravena and Dwight Ramos,” said Toroman, who is friends with Ivory Coast’s Slovenian head coach Dejan Prokic.
“I think that’s the strongest team in the history of Philippine basketball," he added.
The pioneering coach of the Gilas program back in 2011 said it is only a matter of building chemistry between NBA player Jordan Clarkson and the rest of the team to see this Philippine team's full potential at the World Cup.
Chemistry with JC
“First game with Jordan Clarkson. They need the time to fix everything, to make the chemistry,” said Toroman, who also coached the national teams of Iran and Indonesia as well as Petron and Barako in the PBA.
“But, you know Clarkson can do a lot, you can see that he dominated the play here. Just need to make the chemistry between all the players.”
Gilas coach Chot Reyes agreed, pointing to the team's 18 errors - four by Clarkson - as the ony blot in the national team's performance in the 85-62 win over Ivory Coast in a tuneup held behind closed doors at the PhilSports Arena.
“Ngayon lang naglaro yung tatlo, di ba?” said Reyes, referring to Clarkson, Kai Sotto and Scottie Thompson, who put up good numbers against the Ivorians in his first game back since suffering a fractured hand.
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