Aussies to play here?

Lindsay Gaze, known as the father of Australian basketball, hopes to bring his club, the Melbourne Tigers, to Manila for a series of games against the Philippine national squad in late August.

Gaze, who wore the Aussie colors in three Olympics and coached the Boomers in four Olympics, initially expressed interest to visit Manila in a recent e-mail to Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) fan Michael Ortiz.

"My team is planning to visit China in late August and although we are squeezed for time, perhaps we might be able to arrange a stopover for a game or two in Manila," Gaze told Ortiz who has corresponded with the Aussie coach for years. "We have commenced our preseason training and conditioning program and are trying to make decisions on the final selection of our squad."

Ortiz forwarded Gaze’s e-mail to The STAR the other day. I then wrote Gaze to pursue the idea after checking with coach Joseph Uichico who said a series in late August would fit into the Philippine team’s schedule. Uichico mentioned that he plans to contact Australian national coach Brian Goorjian to find out if a series of games against the Boomers could be arranged, too, either here or in Sydney.

Gaze is a three-time National Basketball League (NBL) Coach of the Year and has piloted the Tigers since their pre-pro days in 1971. He remained Melbourne’s coach when the team joined the NBL, Australia’s major hoop loop, in 1984. Gaze led the Tigers to the NBL title in 1993 and 1997.

Gaze’s son Andrew, a five-time Olympian who has played for Washington and San Antonio in the National Basketball Association (NBA), is the Tigers’ shiningest star. The former Seton Hall University guard, however, will not be available for the Manila trip if it pushes through because he’s recovering from ankle surgery. He underwent an operation two weeks ago and will not be cleared to play until after two to three months.

Aside from Gaze’s son, the Tigers’ aces are 6-10 center Mark Bradtke and former PBA imports Lanard Copeland (Pepsi, 1991) and Marcus Timmons (Pop Cola, 1998), both naturalized Australians. Bradtke, 33, saw action for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1996-97. Copeland and Timmons never played in the NBA but are considered NBL legends in their own time.

"The precise dates of our tour are still flexible although we expect to be advised this week of the dates for games in China," said Gaze. "We will welcome your suggestions whether it would be more convenient for games to be scheduled in the Philippines prior to our visit to China or after. If games are to be arranged in Manila, we will most likely reduce the number of games to be scheduled in China."

Obviously, Gaze is more excited to play here than in China.

"I still recall with fond memories the visits we have made to the Philippines in the past," he told Ortiz. Gaze’s first visit here was in 1960 when he was en route to Rome for the Olympics. He was back in 1978 for the World Championships.

"I will be pleased to reestablish our basketball relationship and the prospect of having your teams visit Australia in the future," said Gaze.

When he’s not attending to his Tigers chores, Gaze serves as a member of the NBL Board and is the Victorian Basketball Association general manager. He’s also a member of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) technical committee. If there are FIBA or international rules that need clarification or interpretation, Gaze should be able to provide answers.

Uichico said he’ll welcome the opportunity of matching wits with Gaze and testing how far the Philippine squad has gone in preparing for the Asian Games this September.

Playing in the Samsung PBA Commissioner’s Cup won’t be enough to get Uichico’s Fighting 15 ready for war in Busan. A series of games against a tough Australian team that’s used to playing under international rules will be timely for the Philippine squad because the tune-ups will be after the Second Conference.

The Tigers aren’t expected to show any respect for the Philippine team in an exhibition series here. That’s exactly how Uichico wants it.