The problem is like the other SEA Games champion teams, it is facing impending breakup upon its return home with the core of the lineup having made up their minds to turn professional.
Ranidel de Ocampo, Ervin Sotto, Gary David, Wesley Gonzales, Rich Alvarez, Marc Pingris and even James Yap have signified their intention to join the coming PBA draft.
Cebuano Lhuillier chief Jean Henri Lhuillier won’t get in the way of these players pursuing their plan and neither he’s thinking of turning his back on the national squad despite the possible loss of its star players.
A true-blue sportsman being a former US NCAA Division I tennis player, Lhuillier stressed his commitment to support RP basketball with a No. 1 goal of giving it a return stint to the Olympics.
In a final meeting with the Nationals Saturday night before his scheduled departure for Manila yesterday, Lhuillier even offered those PBA-bound players assistance in facilitating their papers for the PBA draft.
"Feel free to ask help from our coaches if you would have problems in applying for the PBA draft," he told the players.
Lhuillier told The STAR they will go on with their program, pooling together 20-24 young players who will be trained together on a year-round basis with exposures in tournaments abroad.
"Our coaches have identified seven young players who will be invited to join the pool. And our coaches will still scout the countryside for more young talents. Our players who won’t make it to the PBA are most welcome to come back," said Lhuillier.
"We’ll send them abroad for the needed international exposures. We’ll go to the US, to Europe or anywhere else to toughen them up for international competitions just like what is done to our boxers," he added.
With a national pool starting training by January, the initial gauge of the team’s improvement would be the Jones Cup in the middle of next year, according to Cebuana Lhuillier special projects manager Danny Francisco.
"We’re serious with our program. And not just winning in international stage is our goal. We want to regain the pride and honor of carrying the national colors. Gusto namin maramdaman uli ng mga players yung honor na suot mo ang RP team uniform," said Francisco, a former national youth cager.
"Gusto rin namin na alam ng mga kababayan natin na ito ang national team natin. Hindi kagaya ng dati na pulot-pulot na lang pag malapit na ang tournament," added Francisco. "This pool will not only train continuously. The players will do civic work and conduct clinics in the countryside."
To keep the pool together for at least four years, Cebuana Lhuillier plans to tap young but promising players.
"Yun mga bata na hindi pa kilala ang kukunin namin. We’ll offer them a long contract," said Francisco.
Celino Cruz, Dennis Madrid, Richard Melencio and Ric Calimag are four players who’ve signed up long pacts with Cebuana Lhuillier.