THE TEAM THAT captured the 2011 Southeast Asian Games men’s basketball gold medal offered a preview of Smart Gilas Pilipinas 2.0’s unpolished lineup.
Smart Gilas operations manager Butch Antonio said the core of Sinag Pilipinas, a bunch of collegiate stars skippered by Chris Tiu in the Indonesia biennial meet two months ago, could be elevated to the men’s squad bidding to play in the 2014 Fiba World Championship.
Antonio said the follow-up version of the Smart Gilas program is an upgrade from the previous one, gifted with more length and athleticism to match Asia’s perennial contenders in the 2013 Fiba Asia Championship, the qualifier to the worlds in Spain two years from now.
Three continental slots will be dangled in the Asian championship next year with the Philippines seeking to host the tournament and gain homecourt edge. Qatar and Lebanon are also piecing together a convincing package to clinch the hosting.
“This group is definitely more athletic than the previous team. It will also be bigger and taller if we could get the right pieces,” said Antonio.
Seven-footer Cebuano Greg Slaughter, a Smart Gilas I prospect before bringing his length to UAAP champion Ateneo and Sinag Pilipinas, will head the Smart Gilas 2.0 frontline along with 6-foot-10 naturalized center Marcus Douthit.
Interest feelers have also been sent to another Cebu center in 6-foot-9 pivotman Junmar Fajardo, who is honing his moves in the paint with the San Miguel Beermen in the Asean Basketball League.
The Smart Gilas top brass is also toying with the idea of putting seven-footer JaVale McGee of the Washington Wizards in a Philippine uniform as one of two naturalized players.
Other members of Sinag Pilipinas were UAAP MVP Bobby Ray Parks of National University, Ateneo’s Kiefer Ravena, Nico Salva and Emman Monfort, San Beda’s Garvo Lanete, Jake Pascual and Dave Marcelo, FEU’s RR Garcia and Filipino-foreign discoveries Clifford Hodge and Chris Ellis.
“The only problem I see is the commitment with their respective schools. But I believe we can work things out just like what we did in Smart Gilas I,” said Antonio.
Aside from them, the national team will also be stuffed with PBA stars, most likely with former Smart Gilas players who are now flourishing in the pro league. Inquirer