Gilas mentor keeps tabs on former wards

CHANGSHA – Gilas Pilipinas coach Tab Baldwin is so familiar with Lebanon that he can easily tell what each and every player is capable of doing. After all, he handled and steered the team to a 20th finish in a field of 24 in the 2010 World Cup Championship in Turkey. “They have players who can shoot very well. They’re a good transition team. We know they’ve got a good overall size though they aren’t a big team,” said Baldwin.

He pointed to Jean Abdelnour and Rodrigue Akl as the key players from the Turkey joust who are still with the Lebanese quintet here.

Other members of that 2010 squad were the late naturalized player Jackson Vroman, Ali Mahmoud, Rony Fahed, Elie Rustom, Elie Stephan, Ali Kanaan, Ali Fakhredine, Matt Freija, Ghaleb Rida and Fadi El-Khatib.

Vroman, who would later be a Barangay Ginebra import in the PBA, and Freija both had NBA stints.

The Gilas bench chieftain hopes to neutralize the Lebanese strengths and exploit their weaknesses when the Filipinos face them in a knockout duel for the Final Four tonight.

“They battle hard. The Lebanese team always battles so you know this is a team that can have a really good game. They can put a real good game together,” Baldwin said.

Baldwin and the Lebanese stunned Canada, 81-71, before losing to France, 59-86; New Zealand, 76-108; Spain, 57-91, and Lithuania, 66-84, in the 2010 World Cup.

El-Khatib (15.4), Vroman (14.8) and Fahed (11.8) averaged in double figures in the tourney.