Lister awaits Pinoy NBA breakthrough

Meralco skills coach Alton Lister said yesterday a Filipino or a Fil-Am playing in the NBA would solidify the foundations of the game in the country and singled out 6-9 Talk ‘N’ Text forward Japeth Aguilar as the PBA cager closest to making it to the big league.

Lister, 53, is now in his fourth year living here. He was formerly a skills coach with San Miguel Beer. The seven-foot former Arizona State center played for Milwaukee, Seattle, Golden State, Boston and Portland in a 16-year NBA career that ended in 1997-98. Before moving to Manila, Lister was head coach of Mesa Community College in Arizona and assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks. La Salle skills and conditioning coach Joe Ward was a Lister assistant at Mesa where his star player was former PBA import Gabe Freeman.

“I don’t think a Filipino or a Fil-Am guard will make the breakthrough,” said Lister. “Guards are a dime a dozen. There are just too many good guards out there to choose from. The Filipino or Fil-Am who gets to play in the NBA must be somebody special. Japeth is the guy I’ve got in mind. He’s got NBA-type athleticism. He’s 6-9 with good length for a forward. He just needs to work on his skills and a lot of intangibles.”

The first and only Fil-Am to ever play in the NBA was former UCLA guard Raymond Townsend whose mother Virginia Marella is from Balayan, Batangas. Townsend, now 56, played for Golden State in 1978-79 and 1979-80 and Indiana in 1981-82. He never started in 154 career games, averaging 4.8 points. Other Amerasians who made it to the NBA were Wat Misaka (New York, 1947-48), Rex Walters, Corey Gaines and Robert Swift – all of Japanese descent and current New York sensation Jeremy Lin whose parents are from Taipei. The Asian NBA veterans are Yao Ming, Wang Zhizhi, Batere Mengke, Yi Jianlian, Sun Yue – all from China, Yuta Tabuse of Japan, Ha Seung Jin of South Korea and Hamed Haddadi of Iran.

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Lister said Lin’s definitely got game and his emergence from virtually out of nowhere is a shot in the NBA’s arm. “What I like about Lin is his court vision and decision-making,” said Lister. “You can tell he’s a smart guy. He’s an excellent point guard who makes it easy for his teammates to score. He has some real smooth moves penetrating the lane. But you notice in the game against Miami, coach (Erik) Spo (Spoelstra) used a lot of different guards to pressure him. He was only 1-of-11 from the field. That’s the big thing with NBA guards. They’re strong and quick. In the international game, guards who are defended by NBA players can’t get away to do their thing. You can’t call out the play if there’s a guy on top of you making you bring up the ball with your back to your teammates moving to the frontcourt. But no doubt about it, Lin’s a talent.”

Lister said aside from his job at Meralco, he might be tapped to take care of the bigs in the next Smart Gilas national team. “I have a lot of respect for coach Ryan (Gregorio) and the Meralco coaching staff,” said Lister. “They’ve talked to me about helping out Smart Gilas and I’m excited about it.” Lister was picked to play for the US national squad at the 1980 Moscow Olympics but never got to play because of the Free World boycott. With Smart Gilas, Lister gets a chance to participate in international competition over 30 years from when he would’ve made his overseas debut as a player.

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As for the Bolts’ campaign in the Commissioner’s Cup, Lister said it’s off to a slow start because of import adjustments. “We’re getting there,” he said. “We first brought in Jelani (McCoy) then Jarrid Famous and now Earl Barron. It’s not easy switching imports because the team has to make adjustments. They’re all quality imports. It’s a matter of finding the right fit for our team. But we’re coming together. Chris (Ross) is doing a great job of finding our scorers. Sol (Mercado) is back. Asi (Taulava) can bang bodies with the big guys and is an import defender – he could play five with Earl at four as an option. We’re all eager to win. That’s what it’s all about.”

Lister pointed to Powerade’s Dwayne Jones as an example of a right fit for his team. “Jones played for St. Joseph’s where his teammates included Jameer Nelson, Delonte West and Pat Carroll,” said Lister. “So in college, he didn’t need to score because his teammates could really light it up. Then, he played in the NBA with LeBron James at Cleveland. At Powerade, they’ve got those three guys who can score – Gary (David), Jvee (Casio) and Marcio (Lassiter) so all Dwayne has to do is to rebound, play defense and control the inside. He knows his role in the team and he’s doing a good job playing it. That Powerade team is dangerous and with Jones in the middle, they’re a serious contender.”

Lister, whose late brother Jim was a former PBA import, said his 15-year-old son Alton Jr. is now 6-7 and growing. “He has an offer to enroll at Mater Dei which has a quality high school basketball program,” said Lister. “There’s also the option of my son taking out Filipino citizenship to later play for the national team.” Mater Dei is a private Catholic high school in Santa Ana, California whose basketball graduates include former NBA cagers LeRon Ellis, Reggie Geary, Jamal Sampson and D. J. Strawberry. Former PBA star Vince Hizon also went to Mater Dei before moving to Boise State and Ateneo.

Lister has fallen in love with the Philippines and is open to settling down here permanently. Staying involved in basketball is what makes Lister tick – the game is his passion and life.