Philippine national basketball team coach Chot Reyes paired players by position so they become buddies on and off the court.
I asked Ren-Ren, easily the hottest outside shooter in the league, if James has made any "private" revelations in talking in his sleep. Nope, replied Ren. James doesn’t talk in his sleep. And he doesn’t snore either.
A reliable source (not Ren-Ren) said James’ fiancée Kris Aquino is in touch with the Purefoods star by phone. After the tournament, James will fly to San Francisco to rendezvous with Kris. They’ll take the same flight back to Manila next week.
Summit organizer Albert Hall said some National Basketball Association (NBA) scouts were wide-eyed when they watched Ren-Ren scorch the nets in the Philippines’ game against Passing Lane Sports last Sunday. Ren-Ren knocked down 7-of-12 treys to finish with 27 points.
Passing Lane guard God Shammgod, a former Washington Wizard, desperately tried to shut down Ren-Ren in the fourth period but the FedEx hotshot still got away with 16 points in the quarter.
To enhance his reputation as a deadly gunner, Ren-Ren sank a 40-foot heave at the first quarter buzzer in the game against BDA Sports last Monday.
Ren-Ren’s sister Kristine lives in North Carolina but couldn’t make the trip here because of work.
"I’m very proud to be here," said Ren-Ren. "I expect to learn more things in the Summit and gain more experience in playing basketball. My goal as a national player is to win the gold medal for our country and to make every Filipino proud."
The other roommates are Don Allado and Billy Mamaril, Romel Adducul and Sonny Thoss, Tony de la Cruz and Kelly Williams, Mike Cortez and Jay-Jay Helterbrand and Rich Alvarez and Kerby Raymundo.
Late arrival Dondon Hontiveros is rooming with assistant coach Binky Favis. Chot shares a room with assistant coach Tim Cone. Another assistant coach Aboy Castro is rooming with trainer Dennis Aenlle.
So far, roommates aren’t revealing any secrets about each other. Nobody’s also admitting who snores. It looks like Reyes’ bonding formula is working.
Tim said he’s "baby-sitting" his roommate and playing doctor.
Before the Philippines’ game against the Long Beach Jam, Tim made sure Chot had at least eight hours of sleep.
"Chot’s catching a cold," said Tim. "There’s a lot of stress."
In 1998, the tables were reversed. Chot was Tim’s assistant when the Centennial team traveled from city to city in a grueling US playing tour.
"We did this in ’98," said Tim. "The first time, it’s different. The second time, we plan for it. The experience gives us better planning. In ’98, we went from city to city, traveling an average of six hours by bus and we were exhausted. We played teams that were fresh, waiting for us. Here, all the teams play games every day straight and everybody’s battling the temptation of the gaming tables and spending late nights out."
Tim said it’s an honor to play a role in the national team. "It’s also a chance to redeem my past experience and a chance to help a friend," added Tim.
Under Tim, the Philippines won the Jones Cup in Taipei and took the bronze in basketball at the Bangkok Asian Games in 1998.
"My goals as part of the national team are to support Chot in any way possible and learn from the bevy of coaches, Chot, Norman (Black) and Jong (Uichico)," said Tim. "It’s a chance to gain experience putting a team together quickly and preparing it to travel and perform."
When the Summit winds up, Tim will take national cagers and Alaska mainstays Don, Sonny and Mike to Sarasota, Florida, to attend the eight-day International Management Group basketball camp. Their invitation was facilitated by Toronto Raptors director of player personnel Jim Kelly, once a Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) coaching consultant with Great Taste and a TV broadcaster. Jim is married to a Filipina, Lucy, from Olongapo and is now a grandfather.
By the way, Tim is eagerly expecting the stork’s arrival on Sept. 1. His wife Cristina is giving birth to their third child, a boy who’ll be named Trevor. The Cones’ children are Nikki, 13, and Kevin, 9.Sonny, who is half-German and half-Filipino, had never been to the US before. He is the second youngest player on the team. James is the youngest–he was born about two months after Sonny. Both are 23. Sonny speaks fluent Cebuano–his mother Jesusa is from Cebu–but struggles with his Tagalog. His parents live in Papua New Guinea.
From here, Rich will fly to South Carolina to attend his brother Mark’s wedding. His father Rudy flew in the other day to watch the Philippines play Long Beach.
Billy will drive to Bakersfield, in between Los Angeles and San Francisco, to visit his mother Marissa, a nurse, and sister Beverly, when the Summit is over. His mother was here last weekend.
"I want to see myself against good, foreign players and get international experience," said Billy when asked what he expects to gain from the Las Vegas campaign. "My goals are to get familiar with the players and coach to have a chance to go to the Olympics."
Romel, who is on his first visit to the world’s entertainment capital, will fly back to Manila and arrive Saturday morning to join the national team that will play in the Jones Cup.
"My goal is to help the national team to be one of the top teams in Asia," said Romel, one of nine children. "I expect to gain more confidence and improve on my talent and skills."
The trip to Las Vegas will no doubt leave a lasting positive impression on the national team.