Good news and even greater ones

Have you heard? We’re gonna be hosting the 2013 FIBA Asia Championships!

Fantastic right? In case you don’t know, we haven’t hosted Asia’s biggest basketball tournaments since it was named the Asia Basketball Confederate or the ABC. That was also the last big splash the Philippines ever made in hoops.

That’s excruciatingly long. I was not even alive when we last hosted it and now, here I am, all 22 years of my life (nearing 23), with a chance to see the best Asia has to offer in terms of basketball competition. All those Asian heroes on the hardcourt, they’re converging to Manila to jostle and grab a chance for an Olympic berth in the long run.

And one more thing, hosting would also mean we’re assured of a slot in the top 8.

Yep, cue the laughs. Haters will say that we needed a hosting gig to even crack the top 8.

But wait, it gets even better.

Ramon Ang and company have pledged “support” in light of the news. In essence, they “promised” to lend a hand to Manny Pangilinan’s fledgling, but outrightly successful brain thrust, the Gilas basketball program. So that must mean we’ll be seeing San Miguel Corporation’s stars on the hardcourt? So we’ll be having the Kraken and Sakuragi down low with Arwind Santos, James Yap and maybe an Alex Cabagnot with his head on, filling the wings?

Wait.

Someone punch me. Hard.

This cannot be happening right? Or are those blank promises that Uncle Ramon just grins like the meme popularized by 9Gag and say “U Mad GILAS fans?” As it stands, I am bound to believe otherwise until he and his lackeys fulfill it. Needless to say, his troops would provide a much needed boost to bolster the deficiencies of the current crop, cadet squad not withstanding.

Junmar Fajardo would plug and clog that middle when Douthit takes a breather. He’s no stranger to punishment. Dude is a legit banger as they get and likes to play volleyball with the backboard scruffing and scrapping for offenisve boards, turning them garbages into gold. Which brings me to the other member of my wishlist.

Marc Pingris. Pinoy Sakuragi. Relentlessness in mortal form. He is getting slower yes, but Pingris is still the best defender there is in the country. He has the heft to bang inside. He has the lateral quickness and speed of a guard for guarding wings. And he has that overwhelming desire to lock his man up in a close quarter, bruise, elbow and bang him to death until he waves the fight flag and until Ping gets whistled for his last personal foul. It’ll be nice to see him switching with Ranidel de Ocampo who’s not really known for his defensive acumen and footspeed. And also, you can plug Ping next to RDO and just cross match him for the SF RDO is matched up with while de Ocampo gets the plodding PF Ping has.

And then there’s Arwind Santos. Our friends at the Kilikilishot blog site have long implored Santos to play to his strengths rather than mindlessly jacking up threes and using his impressive rebounding instincts to score putbacks. But that’s the problem. Once he shoots up top, no matter the instincts on rebounds, counting on his athleticism, he’ll be out of position and easily boxed-out. More likely, an over the back foul in the offing given how tight the referees call it against our favor (let’s be serious, since the new Millenium, when did we ever get a favorable call in international tourneys?).

Who can forget James Yap? Well, they decided to call him the “Face of the PBA” and all that brouhahaha, but there’s one thing you can’t make a mistake with this guy: He’s a scorer. He’s a shooter. And now, he can also rebound for a guard his size. It seems Tim Cone’s project in turning Yap around into more than merely a scorer is proving genius, outside of the incredible choke job against Jireh Ibanez, and not only do we have taken notice of it, everyone has. Yap has been active on all facets of the game in his run so far with Cone. And Coach Chot could surely use him to ease the pressure off Douthit and the bigs. Remember, the international three line is shorter compared to the pros. Imagine the havoc Yap can wreak with his improved game. And, reminiscing, I once thought that Larry Fonacier and James Yap interchanging as the assassins of the national team. Now? That may be a reality.

Even if just these four push through, I’d be wholly glad at Ramon Ang and grudgingly retract my statements about his “war” with MVP.

But that remains to be seen.

Wow me, Uncle Ramon.

Say: “I don’t usually send my players to the GILAS team, but when I do, it’s when they win that gold medal for us.”

Generate your hatemails to @PioStark.