Gilas hopes to boost cast for Fiba Asia

MANILA, Philippines - Smart Gilas Pilipinas will again seek player reinforcement from the PBA to beef up the team that will try to achieve the national federation’s goal of making the grade for the 2012 Olympics.

“We’ve reevaluated things after the Guangzhou Asian Games. We realized we can’t go on this way and we need to make some changes,” said Smart Gilas team manager Frankie Lim.

“We’ll make the team stronger by working on the papers of Marcus Douthit and hopefully getting four to five players from the PBA,” Lim added.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Manny V. Pangilinan is likely to personally appeal this to the PBA during the meeting of PBA team owners on Jan. 25 at Club Filipino in Greenhills.

PBA commissioner Chito Salud said the national team issue is on the agenda but didn’t elaborate.

Lim said they will again seek reinforcement from the pro league to have a better chance of winning the 2011 Fiba Asia championship in Hubei, China in September.

The Fiba Asia joust serves as the regional qualifier for the 2012 London Olympics. The winner clinches the lone Asian slot in the quadrennial games.

Smart Gilas has resumed training at The Arena in San Juan. The Nationals hold their last practice session in 2010 today then resumes training again Sunday.

“The idea is to maintain 20 players and pick the best 12 from there,” said Lim on their training plan.

The Smart Gilas management is hopeful its request would be approved by the PBA.

The pro league, a member of the national federation, heeded the call the last time, allowing Asi Taulava, Kelly Williams and Sol Mercado to play for Smart Gilas in the Guangzhou Asiad.

Probably in an effort to stay in shape, Taulava joined the Nationals in practice yesterday.

Seen practicing with the Nationals in the last two days was youth standout Kiefer Ravena.

“Coach Rajko wanted to see him up close and personal,” said assistant coach Allan Gregorio.

“We’re inviting other collegiate standouts. In the first place, we want continuity in this program,” said Lim.

Douthit is rejoining the team in training in January. Fil-Am Chris Lutz is also out of the country, stranded in snow storm in the US.