CHICAGO - When change sweeps across the Samahang Basketbol Ng Pilipinas (SBP), the instinct of misery-infested diehard Gilas fans such as myself is to dismiss the move as another cycle of grief.
But as I watched the new faces occupy sensitive posts in the federation, some inspiration emerged. And the cynicism that had been embedded in the soul following years of disappointment is making room for hope.
READ Cone puts premium on continuity over long buildup
To welcome the New Year last January 8, SBP named Erika Dy as executive director to replace the retiring Sonny Barrios. Twenty days later Tim Cone was appointed as Gilas coach and Richard Del Rosario as team manager.
The selfless contributions Barrios, Butch Antonio, and especially the oft-maligned Chot Reyes have given to Gilas should not be forgotten.
But change was due and what better E.D. to lead the federation into the new era than Erika Dy.
Besides her impressive curriculum vitae, which includes a law license, Dy is a perfect fit in a way that she knows the inner workings of the SBP as both a former national player and a longtime front office executive.
In other words, SBP got a chef who knows the menu and is familiar with the personnel and customer base.
ALL-IN FOR CONE.
I had my reservations on coach Tim. I thought success in the PBA doesn't translate at the FIBA level. But when he disclosed his template for Gilas moving forward, he made it easy to make us believers.
Same 12 guys, give or take a few as plug-ins, to stay together as a team is not a novel idea. It's a practical option that could work well in our country where basketball is played year-round at every level, making players' availability a constant concern.
I'm not sure if Del Rosario is an administrator but with the appropriate guidance there is much optimism that he'll do just fine when the training wheels are off and he is left to his own devices.
His track record at Ginebra, where he is an assistant to Cone, is a testament to hard work and success.
The gratitude we owe for suddenly having three capable leaders at SBP's helm cannot be fully paid without appreciating the connective tissue that binds Dy, Cone and Del Rosario.
SBP president Al Panlilio.
One of Manny V, Pangilinan's most trusted lieutenants, Panlilio will exit the federation this September. He could have spent the remaining months of his regime smoking a cigar and admiring his work at the World Cup hosting while reliving Gilas' gold-medal runs in the SEA Games and the Asiad
THE FORMER MERALCO TEAM GOVERNOR CHOSE TO KEEP TOILING.
"Our work never stops. In fact, we work the hardest in between tournaments because that's when we build the infrastructures that success demands," he told me in an interview.
"I have an obligation to put SBP's best foot forward as Gilas continues to compete against a tough field. Basketball is an eternity, no time to rest and definitely no time to get tired," Panlilio added.
If he was able to run multi-billion peso communications giant PLDT as its CEO, it was a given that Panlilio could direct the SBP with the intelligence and people skills the post required.
As SPIN readers can attest, I've criticized both him and his office as I deemed it fit through the years. Not once did I hear anger or disapproval from him. Most importantly, he never stopped answering my calls and messages for an interview.
It's a rare mix of thick skin, steel nerves, and allegiance to service that has made the SBP weather countless storms under the steady hands of Al Panlilio.
Too bad he's leaving soon.
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