SBP moves on from awakening to rebuilding

If 2008 was a year of awakening, 2009 will be a year of rebuilding for the SBP. That’s SBP executive director Noli Eala’s assessment as he welcomed the new year with high hopes of improving the country’s standing in global basketball.

In specific terms, Eala said yesterday the SBP’s main goals for 2009 are to raise the country’s FIBA world rating which is now a lowly No. 63, to finish in the top three of the FIBA-Asia tournament for a ticket to the World Championships in Turkey next year, to retain the gold medal in basketball at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Laos and for the developmental team to perform creditably in the FIBA-Asia Champions Cup.

“In 2008, we got our feet off the ground,” said Eala. “With our FIBA suspension lifted, we were back in the basketball mainstream. The SBP was accepted by the POC and FIBA and we’re now in the process of building house. We’re looking to strengthen the grassroots, reach out to the youth sector and focus on gaining technical competence.”

Eala said with Serbian coach Rajko Toroman’s assistance, the SBP will create a referees core for affiliate leagues like the UAAP, NCAA, NAASCU and CESAFI to tap in order to standardize officiating. From a nucleus of nine Filipino FIBA referees, Eala said the core will be increased to 15 to 20 more.

“We are sending a new batch of referees to attend the next FIBA-Asia seminar in Malaysia this month then we’re sending another group to a commissioners’ clinic in Thailand,” said Eala. “We’ll continue to upgrade our standards of technical competence because in the end, that will impact on our level of competition.”

Eala said he expects to retain the core of the national development team that Toroman coached to win an invitational tournament in China last month.

“We want to expose our developmental team to more competitions,” said Eala. “We’re not rushing to face the world contenders. We’re building up like Manny Pacquiao did in his early years. We just want to get in the groove first. We’re hoping to sit down with our players this week and discuss terms of our contract with them.”

Eala said the plan is to reinforce the developmental squad with La Salle’s Rico Maierhofer, Ateneo’s Chris Tiu, Western Kentucky’s Japeth Aguilar and Oberlin College’s Gian Chiu for the FIBA-Asia Champions Cup in May.

“The developmental team’s first tournament of the year is the SEABA Champions Cup in March,” Eala continued. “Then, they play seven tune-up games in Serbia and go on a 10-day training trip to the US. That will prepare the team for the FIBA-Asia Champions Cup which offers a higher level of competition.”

The Champions Cup allows teams to play with two imports but Toroman is inclined to keep an all-Filipino lineup.

“The door isn’t closed to getting imports although coach Rajko would rather take in Japeth and Gian to play center,” said Eala. We’ve got a long list of foreign players who are asking about naturalization. The list includes a couple of Serbians. We’re keeping that option in mind. For the women’s team, we’ve already found a Chinese player up for naturalization and Rep. Robbie Puno has offered to sponsor a bill towards that direction.”

Eala said he would’ve preferred the developmental team to play in the SEABA qualifiers for the FIBA-Asia Championships instead of the PBA selection but left it up to the pro league to decide.

“I think our developmental team can take care of the SEABA qualifiers and the PBA selection would find tougher competition in the Champions Cup to prepare for the FIBA-Asia Championships,” said Eala. “But our role is to support the PBA in this effort. The PBA is autonomous in planning its participation in our national program. We’re all out in supporting the PBA in trying to get a ticket to the World Championships and if the PBA would like to draft any of our players in the developmental pool or coach Rajko, we’ll be more than willing to contribute. It’s an SBP priority for the Philippines to qualify once more for the World Championships where we haven’t played since 1978.”

Eala said even as the vision is for the developmental team to mature to a level where it could represent the country in the 2012 London Olympics, the way is always clear for the PBA’s involvement.

This year, the developmental team will play in the SEABA Champions Cup, FIBA-Asia Champions Cup, FIBA-Asia Stankovic Cup and the SEA Games.

“Like in the US, the concept is to get the best players to represent the country which is why NBA players are in the national team,” said Eala. “In the SBP, we’re not about to reveal all our cards just yet. We’re determined to strengthen our developmental team but if we get a chance to play in the Olympics and if we can bring in our best players from the PBA, we’ll try to do that. Our ultimate goal is to qualify for the Olympics, after all.”

Eala said Bobby Parks’ 15-year-old son Ray-Ray is an outstanding prospect and Toroman has singled him out to join the national senior team in two years. Parks and his son are in town on the invitation of Nokia and Tao Corp.

“Coach Rajko is impressed with Ray-Ray,” he said. “Ray-Ray has the perfect basketball body - long-limbed, slim, just like his father. He’s now in Grade 10 in the US, the equivalent of second year high school. Within his age group, he plays two-guard. When playing against older boys, he plays point guard. He’s about 6-2. He’s gifted. The kid is special. Bobby is open for Ray-Ray to play college in Manila and his godfather Norman (Black), I’m sure, is talking to Ray-Ray about the possibility. Ray-Ray was born and grew up here so he speaks fluent Tagalog. He’s been living in the US only the last three years.”