Reliability is key

According to SBP executive director Noli Eala, the perfect naturalization candidate for the Smart-Gilas national basketball team is an “import” who can defend the post, rebound and score but most importantly, someone who is reliable and willing to play hard within coach Rajko Toroman’s system.

“With an import, there’s no doubt in my mind we would’ve won the championship in the recent Dubai Invitationals,” said Eala, referring to the tournament where Smart-Gilas finished third despite playing most of the way without Jamal Sampson.

“It’s too bad about Jamal. There was never anything personal between Jamal and me or Rajko. In fact, we had long discussions in trying to work things out. The issue wasn’t about his talent because he certainly is a talented player. The issue was about reliability. He was just always injured. He was down with a headache, a backache, a stomach ache or pain in the knees or the back. We never knew if he was ready to play. In a program like ours, our guys have to be ready to play when the time comes. We only get one shot to advance in a FIBA-style competition. It’s difficult to live with a situation where we couldn’t be sure of Jamal’s condition.”

Eala said Sampson’s gripes about the team were baseless.

“I’d rather not comment on his allegations which are all false because I really don’t want to dignify his claims,” said Eala. “Before Jamal left, we had a good meeting. We settled things. There was an amount we withheld because he left behind unpaid bills, which he has to pay for. He gave his phone to a friend Chris Childress and we’re still waiting for the last bill. Chris was with him in Manila and is now visiting his brother Josh, a former NBA star playing in Greece.”

Eala denied Sampson’s “scoop” that the Smart-Gilas players were disgruntled because of salary issues.

“First of all, Jamal had very little contact with his teammates,” said Eala. “His allegations were based on hearsay or double hearsay and you don’t give credence to that. Our guys practically killed themselves to win in Dubai. As is often mentioned in law, the thing speaks for itself. Our performance in Dubai spoke for itself. The team is fine, the boys are good and they’re practicing well.”

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Eala welcomed team manager Frankie Lim’s arrival to the team.

“Frankie’s here to help,” said Eala. “We’ve had a smooth transition. Frankie is in charge of managing the team and his concerns include logistics, recruiting and signing of players, team composition and practices. He is working closely with Rajko in those aspects. As for the SBP, we will continue to be involved in the areas of marketing, media and coordination with basketball federations and FIBA. Smart-Gilas is an SBP team and program and we in SBP will remain a part of its directions and plans.”

Eala said he has briefed Lim on Sampson.

“Everything I know, Frankie knows,” said Eala. “Throughout his stay with us, I tried to keep Jamal sane and happy. I’ve spoken with his agent (Chris Emmen) and we both think it wasn’t right for him to say the things he did about our team. He probably did it out of self-defense because he’s still a guy in the market. It was to protect his image. Although we were exasperated because of his injuries, we never called him a faker. We never questioned his integrity. We never accused him of making up his injuries. The whole point was about reliability and Jamal just wasn’t ready to play whenever we needed him.”

Regarding the decision to retain Toroman’s staff, assistant coach Allan Gregorio said it was a morale booster.

“Credit goes to the dedication and professionalism of our players,” said Gregorio. “Even with coach Rajko in the US, we have maintained the integrity and focus in our practices. It was a good one-week experience to head the team.”

Lim confirmed the other day that Gregorio, Jude Roque and Djalma Arnedo will stay with the team on Toroman’s recommendation. There were prior suggestions to “upgrade” the staff by recruiting Binky Favis, Ed Cordero, Bong Ramos and Derick Pumaren. Lim, however, did not retain the team management committee made up of Butch Antonio, Rico Meneses, Bernie Atienza and Joey Bautista.

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Meanwhile, Toroman flew back to Manila on a Philippine Airlines flight last Tuesday after a one-week scouting mission in Los Angeles where he watched several naturalization candidates in game action.

Toroman went to the US to look for a big man to reinforce the Smart-Gilas lineup after C. J. Giles and Sampson failed to make the grade.

At least six players were in Toroman’s radar. But his first choice, 6-11 Courtney Sims of the University of Michigan, may not be available. Golden State coach Don Nelson has reportedly zeroed in on Sims as a possible addition to the Warriors roster.

Toroman’s other picks were 7-0 Michael Fey of UCLA, 6-10 Dwayne Jones of St. Joseph’s and 7-0 Earl Barron of Memphis. Jones, 26, has played for Boston, Cleveland and Charlotte in four NBA seasons while Barron, 28, once suited up for Red Bull in the PBA and saw action for the Miami Heat. Also in Toroman’s watch list were 7-0 Gabriel Hughes of California and 6-10 Kurt Looby of Iowa.

Before Toroman left for Los Angeles, Lim brought two players to Manila for tryouts - 6-10 Darian Townes of Arkansas and 6-10 Jameel Watkins of Georgetown. Neither was particularly impressive.