Close calls put Gilas in bind

SEVILLE. Two setbacks suffered by Gilas could’ve easily gone the other way at the FIBA World Cup here and with a 0-3 record, the Philippines now faces the grim task of overcoming Puerto Rico tonight and Senegal tomorrow for the chance to advance to the knockout round-of-16.

Another loss by Gilas will strike the Philippine out of contention in Group B. Two wins could arrange a tie for fourth with Senegal, making their showdown a do-or-die affair. That will happen if in games today and tomorrow, Greece beats Croatia and Argentina, Argentina beats Senegal and loses to Greece, Croatia loses to Greece and beats Puerto Rico, the Philippines beats Puerto Rico and Senegal, Senegal loses to Argentina and the Philippines and Puerto Rico loses to the Philippines and Croatia. The results will install Greece at No. 1 with a 5-0 record, Croatia No. 2 with 3-2, Argentina No. 3 with 3-2, the Philippines No. 4 with 2-3, Senegal No. 5 with 2-3 and Puerto Rico No. 6 with 0-5.

In the hairline setbacks to Croatia and Argentina, Gilas guard Jayson Castro figured prominently down the stretch. Against Croatia, Castro could’ve driven in and fished for a foul with only a few seconds left in regulation and the score tied, 71-all. Instead, Castro dished to Jeff Chan who was surprised to get the ball and threw up an off-balanced prayer that bounced off the rim. In overtime, Castro once again had a chance to bail out Gilas. He hurriedly took the ball upcourt and jacked up a triple that had no chance of making it. Castro fell as he released but couldn’t sell the foul. Croatia held on to win, 81-78, in extension last Saturday.

It was Castro once more with the ball and Argentina on top, 83-81, last Monday. The play was for Jimmy Alapag to take a shot off a pick. But with time ticking away, Castro opted to go for a three against 6-7 Marcos Mata who is nine inches taller. Mata went up to block Castro’s shot. Castro jumped but hesitated in mid-air under duress and dropped the ball only to pick it up after Mata landed. The referee was quick to call the travelling violation.

“That wasn’t the play we wanted but you can’t second guess Jayson or any player in that situation,” said Gilas coaching consultant Tab Baldwin. “A lot of things race through your mind and you’re trying to process everything to make the right decision. There were options but Jayson went for a three. It was a great effort on our part. We started strong and led early. Turnovers hurt us. We just go out there to fight and get better.”

Head coach Chot Reyes said he can’t blame Castro. “We put Dray (Blatche) in a corner to spread the defense,” he said. “Jimmy was supposed to take it. When he couldn’t get the ball, Jayson had the option to drive or take the shot. Gabe (Norwood) was on one side. Jayson wanted to win it with a three.”

Castro’s decision-making rated poorly in both cases. “With Talk ‘N’ Text, it’s Jimmy who makes the decisions and Jayson executes so he doesn’t really do much thinking or deciding,” said a basketball official. “If Castro has to make a decision on the court, he may not be ready for it. That was obvious in the homestretch of the Croatia and Argentina games. But he’ll learn from this. Castro should realize he’s Jimmy’s successor and when Jimmy retires, he’s taking over.”

Reyes benched JuneMar Fajardo the entire second half and explained it was because Argentina played small ball. Fajardo subbed for Blatche when the NBA center was tagged with two early fouls and logged 9:13 minutes in the first half, delivering six points and two rebounds. When Blatche reentered the game, Fajardo stayed on the bench. Like Fajardo, Argentina’s Walter Hermann sat out the last two periods after scoring 10 points in the first half.

PLDT chairman/SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan said in every game, there is progress in Gilas’ performance. He lauded the team’s effort in losing cliffhangers to Croatia and Argentina. “It’s obvious we have an excellent coaching staff,” he said. “Chot brought in Tab and Nacho Lezcano as consultants. But as I told Chot, we’re not after a moral victory, we want real wins. I watched a recent Gilas practice and saw that Chot let Tab run the drills.” Baldwin, who took New Zealand to the World Cup semifinals in 2002, is a defensive master while Lezcano has the lowdown on every major European player at the World Cup. Others in Reyes’ staff are Joseph Uichico, Norman Black, Josh Reyes, Ryan Gregorio and Nash Racela.

Baldwin cited Gilas’ effort against Greece as outstanding even if the Philippines lost 82-70. Gilas’ defense kept the Greek frontline from scoring big numbers in the interior.

Maynilad senior vice president/incoming PBA chairman Patrick Gregorio said before the tournament, he expected Gilas to be blown out by world powers like No. 3 Argentina and No. 5 Greece. “I never imagined we could be this competitive at the world level,” he said. “I thought we’d lose by 20 to 30 or even more points. But we’re sticking close. Of the three Asian countries at the World Cup, the Philippines is the only one not being massacred.”

With the way Gilas has played at the FIBA World Cup so far, Maynilad president/SBP vice chairman Ricky Vargas said the Philippines should be able to claim the gold medal at the Asian Games in Incheon on Sept. 19-Oct. 4. “I think we can beat Iran right now,” said Vargas. The problem is the Asian Games organizers seem to be out to disqualify Blatche for failing to serve a three-year residence as a foreign player. A basketball official said the political move is questionable since the rule clearly states that the three-year residence applies only to an athlete who will play for a second country. FIBA has no three-year residency rule unlike some other sports federations. This is because FIBA allows a player to represent only one country in his sports life.

“We’ll fight it,” said Pangilinan. “The POC and PSC are helping us out. We believe the rule doesn’t apply to Blatche. The Asian Games is governed by the Olympic Council of Asia so they’re more aligned with the IOC.” If Blatche is disallowed, his slot may not be given to someone else as a replacement is only permitted to sub for an injured player. Gilas team manager Aboy Castro said Blatche has asked about the eligibility issue. “I suggested to focus on the World Cup, that’s the task at hand, and let’s leave the Asian Games problem to the officials who are in position to resolve it,” said Castro.