Source: Joey Villar, Philippine Star
-- Asian powerhouse teams China and Iran can be beaten.
Smart Gilas Pilipinas’ Serbian Rajko Toroman made this assessment yesterday after the Nationals arrived from Dubai where they finished third in the tough 21st Dubai Invitational.
“The teams we played in Dubai are tougher than China. As for Iran, Jackson Vroman, their import in Dubai, will not play for them in the Asian Games,” Toroman said.
Playing practically All-Filipino the whole tournament, the Nationals wound up third by beating some of the region’s powerhouse teams, including World Championship-bound Zain of Jordan.
The Filipinos could have been in the finals but lost steam in the semis against last year’s titlist Al Riyadi of Lebanon, which lost to Iran of Mahram in the finals.
Although China didn’t see action in Dubai and Iran didn’t cross paths with RP, Toroman said the Nationals have the potential to overcome the region’s powerhouse teams.
China will play without the Houston Rockets’ 7-6 center Yao Ming (injured foot) in this year’s Asian Games in Guangzhou, making the vaunted squad a little more vulnerable.
Iran, which beat China in the 2009 FIBA-Asia Championship in Tianjin, will play sans Vroman, one of its three American imports in Dubai who will now see action for Lebanon as its naturalized player.
Toroman, however, stressed that Smart Gilas still lacks a big man and a few more shooters before the team can become a legitimate contender.
“This is our problem with one big guy,” said Toroman, already hinting at replacing injury-plagued Jamal Sampson.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Noli Eala actually stated they would be re-evaluating the status of the 6-11 Sampson, who hardly saw action in Dubai with a sore left knee.
“Definitely we are not happy with the way he (Sampson) has performed, not so much that he does not know how to play but I don’t think he has the same heart and commitment to the team,” said Eala.
Monday, January 25, 2010
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