IT's no secret that Filipinos live and breathe basketball.
But if Pinoys were to have a signature calling card as a country, that would be our point guards, according to Fil-Am Nation Select USA head coach Jeff Dosado.
From physicality, speed, and aggression -- a Filipino point guard probably has it. And the country has those in excess from way back, like two-time FIBA Best Point Guard in Asia winner Jayson Castro as well as the ‘Mighty Mouse’ Jimmy Alapag.
And in the 2026 Smart-NBTC National Finals, Dosdado saw it first hand.
“Filipino guards are a headache. I've coached internationally in Canada and Taiwan. When I'm not in the Philippines, I'm like, ‘Man, I wish we had a Filipino point guard that we could go up there and elbow and be physical with other guys.’ And I come to the Philippines and that's everybody," he said.
Dosado was recently tapped to be shotcaller of Fil-Am Nation Select USA’s main squad for this year's tournament, succeeding former Lakers legend Byron Scott.
In the seeding round, Dosado and his crew were pitted against Fil-Am’s finals opponent the previous season, Phenom Blue Fire, which handed them a whiplash-inducing 84-78 loss.
Kieffer Alas dropped 21 points and eight rebounds on the defending champions, while going four-of-eight from beyond the arc.
And after their opening stunner against Phenom, Fil-Am matched up against D’Generals x Pro Dynamix in the Supreme 16, where their main gunner Ruzzel Del Poso rained down 28 points on six triples despite the 108-98 defeat.
“I still have nightmares. Kiefer kicked our butts the first time around. Del Poso? Tremendous shooter. I love the hospitality and the level of competitiveness I saw from everybody, all the teams that we faced," he stated.
"I can't remember a lot of names, but I still see nightmares of us being up 20 and then all of a sudden erase that lead.”
Although they constantly ran into floor generals that terrorized his younger iteration of the Fil-Am squad, Dosado saw it as a crucial step in developing his players and preparing them for any and every situation.
And his squad more than adjusted to it, as they managed to upend every opponent all the way to a three-peat in the national 19U tournament.
“But again, I gotta give it to our guys. We're not used to that. They're not used to seeing it and stuff. Basketball's brutal sometimes. I'm sure the opposing side might feel that way this time. But in this case, I'm fortunate enough to have these young men that carried us through it.
“Tons of great players here, tons of talent, such development over time. Just seeing the game grow and I'm really, really happy to see that and very fortunate to be a part of this.”
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