Daddy and the Philippine team

The article (link below) on Uichico and Jacobs brought back so many memories, and made me realise why I follow and support the Philippine national team with so much passion. As a young boy I had a some what of a unique preference to root for Jacob’s NCC Philippine team and players rather than the more popular PBA pros Toyota and Cripsa players.  I remember my cousins, dissing me for rooting for a team made up of Americans (Moore , Engelend) and amateurs  (Non pros Calma, Caidic etc). 

Fast forward to 1998. I visited Bangkok, Thailand (the country where I grew up due to my dad’s work assignment)  to watch the Philippine national team compete in the Asian games. (In the quarterfinals the Philippines lost to Korea)  I approached coach Chot, who was then the assistant to coach Cone, after the game for a short chat and pictures (that picture after losing to Korea was what I used for Chot to recognise me for the 2013 NZ tour).  

Fast forward to 2002, my dream of Jacobs once again coaching the 2002 National team became a reality (so I thought).  With my excitement my dad and I would go to the Moro Lorenzo Ateneo training facility to watch the National team practice.  I remember my dad scribbling players' names with their stats with his preferred line-up.  (Coach Jacobs suffered a stroke while preparing and his understudy Uichico took his place, we lost to Korea in the semis on last second shot).

Fast forward to 2007, I had since migrated to New Zealand, but still followed the national team.  My dad offered to record the games of the National team from the Philippine broadcast. Chot Reyes had been appointed head coach for the 1^st time.  Daddy recorded a few games in the Jones cup.  He also suffered a stroke then.  When I flew back to Manila to be with him, some of the things I talked to him about was the Philippine National team.  I knew he enjoyed getting updates on the Philippine team,  even if he could not respond because of the stroke.  Dad eventually went to be with the Lord a couple of years after.

Fast forward 2013 – The National team coaches (Chot and Uichico), who my dad and I use to just talk about, now became people who I talked to on a regular basis as organizer of the NZ tour.  (Chot and Uichico were Head coaches and chief assistant coaches of the Philippine team). Uichico was my roommate in the 10-day NZ tour.  The Philippine beat Korea in the semis, qualifying for the World cup and revenging both the 1998 and 2002 loss where  Chot and then Uichico respectably were coaches. This was also the 1^st time we qualified for the World championships since Jacob’s 1985 team.  Somehow I can't help but think that my dad was watching with pride how we finally won!

http://www.spin.ph/sports/basketball/news/jacobs-truly-porud-of-what-gilas-achieved-says-uichico-

Insight: Room assignments (who mentored who?)

While organising the NZ tour, I was given the room assignments of each player (who rooms with who) and coach. On the surface it didn’t mean much, but in hindsight , you really saw the influence each player had on their roommate.

 Here are is a list of their room assignments,  I'm sure this was not done randomly and  I’m sure coach Chot and Manager Butch had their reasoning behind the room assignments. Here are lasting impressions I have of each room assignment :

1.      Alapag and Tenorio:   Tenorio said.  “Kaya din siguro ni-roommate ako kay Jimmy eh,”

“Siguro sa lahat ng meeting namin, sa activities namin, nakita ni Coach. I need to be like (Jimmy). I need to step up when Jimmy’s not there.”

 “Gusto ko rin maging katulad niya na til the end of his career, naglaro siya para sa Pilipinas,” he said.

“To be honest, I want to be like him. As a player, as a person — wala akong masabi.”

2.      Jason and Gary : From a personality point of view you couldn’t find a better example of comparing an introvert (Jason) and an extrovert(Gary) the designated joker of the team. In contrast I hardly heard Jason talk at all. Seriously, even in the documentaries he never volunteered to be interviewed, this despite practically being the best player on the team

3.      Jeff and Larry: In contrast to Jason and Gary who were opposites, Jeff and Larry were so similar in personality. (quiet) , the 2 guys hardly went out. (home buddies) these two really basically stayed in the hotel. Both were always communicating with their young families (their wife and kids ) back home.

4.      Gabe and Ranidel: In terms of cultural and language background I never understood how these 2 guys understood each other,  (American and a true pinoy), sometimes Ranidel would crack a joke in tagalog and Gabe would laugh. (and I was like did you even understand him: :)

5.      Ping and Japeth: From a playing style perspective you couldn’t find two players who were exact opposite , (physical vs finesse ) , I felt Pings toughness really rubbed of on Japeth in a good way. What I found surprising is that they really got along of the court , in fact they were the 2 players that spent the most time together ( they looked like a couple J

6.      Beau and Junmar: Here was really a case of a master (Beau) mentoring a student (Junmar). Belga was really consistently on Junmar’s case, especially about being physical. In some cases it was funny, in one instance ,after Beau gives instructions to Junmar before he goes in, a few seconds after referee calls a foul on Junmar J . A touching moment in the tour was when the final 12 was announced to the team. After Belga spoke about his role to be a mentor to Junmar, Junmar spoke and said : Thank you ,  just those two words and the whole team broke out in laughter , because that’s practically the only two words we heard from Junmar, yet it was so sincere.  

Oh I almost forgot I had the opportunity to room with coach Jong, I really admired his humility.  Here was a former National team coach , yet he seemed to be at his best element being an assistant.  I’ve wondered why Jong was no longer a head coach of a team, with my time with him I realized he really fits the assistant coach role best. Having said that he could actually be the most knowledgeable basketball mind in the country, his insight and knowledge of the game is incredible, of the charts. .   

The Finals vs Iran

World Cup Qualifiers : 1st Iran, 2nd: Pilipinas, 3rd : Korea

The Semifinals ticket to Spain: Belief and PUSO

Sorry it took me so long to write about the semifinals game against Korea. With all the euphoria and traveling back home to New Zealand, it took me some time to find time to do this.  Two words come to my mind: Belief and PUSO.  I remember clearly that these were the two things Coach Tab mentioned during the NZ camp that the team needed to be successful .  He felt the team wasn’t there yet at that point.  Whenever Coach Tab and Chot discussed the team's chances in NZ the discussion would go something like this:

Chot:  The competition in FIBA Asia this year is really tough, even teams like Taipei have naturalised a player,
Tab:  I feel we’ve got a very good shot on qualifying for the worlds, but the players must believe and  must really be tough.

I knew Tab knew it would be difficult to accomplish the goal. But for him it was really important that there was the belief that the team could do it.  Chot the realist and looking at all the details that could possibly go wrong wanted to make sure all bases are covered.

The Korean game was really the perfect game to demonstrate this. We always had doubts if we could beat Korea (a team that always seem to beat us), and with Marcus going out in the 1^st half, those doubts must have grown even bigger for many.  But for the people who mattered: the team, its coaches and players this didn’t seem to be the situation.  No matter the obstacle (injury , the Korean jinx) , the feeling was we would refuse to lose today. (that could not happen, the players wouldn’t allow it)

Most of the player with family rushed to our end of the stands when the final buzzer went off.  This whole journey took a lot of sacrifices from their family and friends (their biggest supporters). From Jimmy, Gabe, Ping, Chan, Larry each one sought out their loved ones to give them a hug  for the all their support.

When Chot came out of the locker room and hugged his wife and wept, I gave him a big high five and said: You did it coach!  When Coach Tab saw me, he grabbed me, hugged me tightly and said we did it! I said look how far we’ve gone, who would have thought we would get here (when I first called you 2 months or so ago).  Larry Fonacier said: sama ka sa Spain ha!

Time to start brushing up on my Espanol

The Quarterfinals: Gary’s and Japeth’s breakout game

I posted earlier that these 2 players have taken the heat: Jap because of his career prior to FIBA Asia and David because he has been struggling in the tournament. I have made it a point to encourage the players when I see them. First I met Jason at the hotel, then the rest of the team at the arena: Jimmy, Marcus, Gabe, Larry and then Garry and Japeth - just high-fives and "let’s go". I then had talked to Coach Tab Baldwin and asked if the team is ready. He said they have to be. Talked to the Physio Dex and asked if everyone is in good form: Marcus? Del? Ok naman raw. They entered the arena at halftime of the Chinese Taipei – China game, and Taipei was pulling away.  Another positive sign that this could be Gilas' time. You could also see that, in contrast to the Hong Kong game, the players were focused and had their game faces on.

We started the game strong build a double digit in the 1^st quarter. David came out hot, three consecutive 3’s. I have almost forgotten how good a scorer this guy was. While we were making our shots, I knew that for us to win this game, our defense had to be solid consistent. We will begin to miss shots and Kazakhstan will definitely make a run, which they did. Then this is when Japeth’s energy and defense really came useful. Not only did he alter points inside, but he closed out on their tall shooters. In one play he blocked an open outside shot, saved the ball from going out, then ran down for a wicked slam . A Lebron-like play.  Japeth's presence relieved Douthit (who was obviously limping) from having to come back in to gave him the rest needed for tomorrow’s semis game.

When the final buzzer sounded ending the game, the team huddled in midcourt, and for the 1^st time most of the players ran into our end of courtside (where family and friends were seating). Sitting in 1^st row, I was engulfed in a mad rush of people. I congratulated each player with high fives, pats, etc. Gabe, Japeth, Ping and Marcus, one by one.  This is what we all worked for from day one - to get into the semis.

The players then entered the locker room. I then talked to Larry’s wife about the sacrifices he made to get to this point.  The players came out one after another to meet their families (with cheers from the crowd). Jimmy then reminded us that it’s still one more win away (short of saying let’s not celebrate yet). At this time, the Korea and Qatar game was underway with Korea pulling away.  We will play the winner of this game in the semis. I looked across the court and saw Coaches Tab and Norman busy at work, scouting the Koreans for tomorrow.  Then I realized that we haven’t done anything yet. It’s still all business, no relaxing, no time for celebration. We still need our game faces on!

Day 6 : Easy game vs Hong Kong

This is actually deja vu for me, I remember the day in NZ , 6^th day in the tour, we just landed in beautiful Auckland.  So much to see for a tourist,  I brought Marcus to the ciropracter for a nagging injury, as we are going to play the weakest team in the tour the Rangers, I expected Marcus to sit it out – easy game anyway right?  Marcus told me he’s never missed a game in FIBA Asia , and said if this was FIBA Asia he would be playing. I totally agreed the main thing is you have to be healthy.  The rest of the team was in total relax mode ,  joking around with their new place to see. (the Sky Tower bungy jump was there for anyone to dare try it) , LA asked about the team they were playing tonight , I said they were “mahina” weak.  When we entered the arena, it was packed with Filipino fans all greeting us like heroes. It was like we came in for a party not a game.

Fast forward August 7,  the team probably had a hangover from last nights big win over Qatar. As usual sleep and rest is what players normally do before the game..  I decided to catch the Qatar vs Chinese Tiapei game on TV in one the restaurants in Makati (it’s the 2^nd quarter the game is close),  Jimmy , Gabe and Marcus decide to watch the game as well,  hey Qatar just posted a double digit lead,  wait let’s start cheering for Chinese Tiapei so Qatar does not bring the lead to 16 points (if they do their 1^st seed),  Oh no we cheered too much , Tiapei tied the game with like a minute to go J.   But they had enough to get the W.   Wow we’re the 1^st seed , ..Hong Kong next, that’s mere formality.  I don’t know what it is but you really can kind of predict when a team is going to play well or not based on their demeanor. It’s the game face thing.  Gilas didn’t have it they were too relaxed , no pressure (pressure is good sometimes). The team enters the MoA much like they did in Auckland, joking around , photo opps from fans etc.. Whew this will be a “walk in the park” ..   We all know what happened next..    

Day 5: The story of Qatar

The team I learned most about in recent days has been Qatar. Thanks to a friend and colleague (won’t mention name here, but for the purpose of this post let’s just call him JOHN).  John who has worked with the Qatar team says that while the team is loaded with money, it is highly mismanaged  The team is really an old team (some of their stars are no longer willing to put in the hard work, and have been spoiled by money).  I asked John, what is Qatar’s plan given the restrictions FIBA has set with eligibility (e.g. must have passport by 16 years old).  His answer - simple (which was surprising boarding on scandalous). Qatar is currently recruiting 14 and 15 year old boys from Africa, Serbia (or wherever they can find players) and making them citizens on the spot.   While a questionable practice, under FIBA rules it’s totally legit. So watch out for Qatar in the next few years.  But John and I have doubts with their approach and strategy. All the money in the world does not buy you good management, which Qatar is ridiculously bad at. This team can’t even get the color right of which uniform to bring. It is such a contrast to working with Gilas' professional management which thinks of every detail. Qatar on the other hand just mails you a check and leaves you to do the rest.

Now back to the game, John's recommendationwas to play zone. Qatar is a bad shooting team. The other thing he noted was being an old team with a short rotation and heavily dependent on Jarvis, they will tire out, especially if you play quick and throw waves of fresh legs on them.  As I watched the game unfold in front of me, what my friend just told me happened.  I told him dude you were right.  He laughs and says maybe I should be a scout :)

Japan game - My “PUSO” post!

OK, for a change this post is not going to have much analysis but is going to be all about “PUSO” - heart. For those of you who have been following my posts, I am probably the most maligned forum member for supporting Japeth Aguilar. Jap is probably one of the most criticized player as well. Currently, the player taking the heat is Gary David.  Let’s not fool ourselves. For all the support Gary is getting, he is getting beat up in forums.  I’ve eavesdropped on conversations with  some basketball people in MoA and you could hear the gripes. Let’s start with Jap – the things people love to talk about is what he cannot do (e.g. can’t bang, etc) rather than what he can do. Quite honestly, he is Gilas' best big man pick-and-roll defender and weak-side shot blocker.  He is Marcus' primary reliever at center. I find it amusing when people questioned my opinion that I thought Aguilar was never in the bubble to be cut. The thing is, Jap has already been  playing at this level in Lithuania and New Zealand and it’s not just now (FIBA Asia) that he is showing “it”.  And people (in this forum) know that I've witnessed this, yet still believe what the media and others have been saying.  So you can imagine how silly I found the conversation that he was going to be cut (yeah right, cut your best big man outside of Marcus - Del and Ping are not Bigs in Chot’s scheme).

Now let’s talk about Gary. As far as NZ was concerned, he was next to Marcus. Gary was the team's next best scorer. So you’ve got to forgive me when I find it ridiculous when I hear comments that he should not have made the team.  Here’s a secret. In one of the games in NZ that required one last defensive stop, Chot put Gary in for defense. He did this again in the last Kazaksthan game. While Gary can’t be confused with being a Ryan Reyes, for some reason Chot trusts his defense. Honestly, I can’t see what Chot sees in Gary’s defense. But this is what I can see: the team trusts Gary to be accountable as a leader and doing the right things for the team – sacrifice selfless things.  Gary honestly has earned the respect as the player willing to do anything for the team including sacrificing his game. He said "sa PBA I reserve my energy in defense to be the scorer expected of me. Dito sa Gilas iba. Masaya na ako kahit 7 pts lang ako pero sa defense, yun and focus ko."  Do you guys get it now? This is a team. They will die and fight for one another. Their roles are different from what they are expected to do in the PBA.  And for this reason both Japeth and Gary are actually irreplaceable players for Gilas. Who they are as players and people make-up the psyche of the Gilas team. Take both out and it’s really not Gilas 2 anymore.

As this is my blog, I get to say what I want --  to all the doubters out there, in behalf of the players who make Gilas 2 - F.. you! (and I say that with all PUSO).

Gilas vs Chinese Taipei: Aug 3

First of all, let's give credit where it is due. Taipei played with a lot of discipline. They didn't give up even if they were down big in the 4th. And, of course, shot efficiently well from outside as usual.

Still, it's a hard pill to swallow when you're up by double digits in the 4th only to allow a team to come back. The crowd gave Gilas a lot of energy. This Gilas team is building a reputation of playing hot and cold and feeds off emotion from the crowd to bring out the energy. Unfortunately, this comes with its disadvantages. For one, if you rely on energy and shooting to give you the W, you will have stretches where you can't score as we saw in the 4th quarter.  This type of game requires a deep rotation, and if any player is unable to contribute, the main guys suffer. In a 3-minute stretch at the start of the 4th , David, Chan and Ping failed to bring it. By the time starters Jason, Marcus and Gabe came back in, the lead was close to a basket and the main guys looked spent.  They did not get enough rest to bring in the energy to finish the game.

It also comes down to defense, defense, defense. Taipei scored close to 30 points in the 4th. Again, when you rely on energy to play defense and you get tired, you are really at the mercy of a good shooting team, which Taipei just showed us.

In New Zealand, the player rotation was generally: Castro, David, Gabe, Ranidel and Marcus started (when Marcus rested Junmar was the starting center). The second unit consisted of LA, Larry, Chan, Ping and Japeth.  Alapag normally finished the games with Castro at the backcourt. Now here is the thing, Gary David played well as a starter in NZ and gave Chan and Larry the role as sparks off the bench. But when Gary fails to deliver it forces Chot to go with Larry or Chan early. The problem with that is we lose our bench (our  mircowaves off the bench). By using the 2nd unit early, it also tires them out with nothing left to finish off the game. As we witnessed yesterday vs Taipei, Chot took the blame for not rotating his players well, not leaving enough in the tank to finish. But to a certain extent, he didn't have much choice as David, LA and Chan failed to contribute.  That left Chot no choice but to leave Larry and Gabe in for extended minutes.

Gilas vs Jordan blog

I watched the GIlas vs. Jordan game with my Lithuanian counterpart, Edgaras.  We got to be the VIPs this time as camp organisers.  Edgaras and I compared  insightful notes: who did well in Lithuania and NZ; what schemes where worked on; etc.  We both agreed that the team looked jittery (nerves) and moved away from what they worked on in camp. Marcus waited too long before he got into the game.  His mental readiness was slow.  Japeth did well on both camps.  Junmar was average.  The main guys who did well during the camps (with the exception of David), Jason, Jeff, Gabe, Ranidel and Ping, showed up vs. Jordan.
After the game, I got a warm welcome, hugs and high-fives when I met the team, Coach Tab and Coach Chot.