The Smart Gilas national team is in for a rough outing in the Dubai Invitational basketball tournament.
Aside from the absence of exciting players from the PBA, the PH five will be handicapped against teams with three imports as the Nationals leave tomorrow for the oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Three ballclubs from Lebanon and two from the host country out of the nine teams have signed up three reinforcements each with fear-inducing credentials in the tournament serving as preparation of Gilas for the 2013 Fiba Asia Men’s Championship in Beirut.
Considered strong bets for the crown are Lebanese teams Sagesse Beirut, Mouttahed Tripoli and Al Riyadi Beirut, which hooked up 7-foot-2 Loren Woods, a former NBA campaigner, and American-Lebanese seven-footer Joe Vogel.
Al Riyadi has also taken in American Rashan Anderson, a 6-foot-5 University of Connecticut slasher who played significantly for the Iowa Energy in the NBA Developmental League, and Egyptian Ismail Ahmad.
Mouttahed Tripoli has skipper Rony Fahed and American forwards Marc Salyers and Eric Chatfields while Sagesse Beirut parades former US collegiate hotshots Aaron Harper, Deshawn Sims and Chudney Gray.
FOR EXPERIENCE
AND EXPOSURE
“This could be the toughest tournament for us,” said Smart Gilas headcoach Chot Reyes. “But as I’ve said, this is just a learning and preparatory tournament. This is nothing but a preparation for the bigger battle ahead.”
Naturalized center Marcus Douthit will join forces with the PBA’s JR Reyes, Ronjay Buenafe and KG Canaleta in the absence of pro players who helped Gilas win the Jones Cup in Taipei last year.
They will have to make do with Gilas cadet players Garvo Lanete, Greg Slaughter, RR Garcia, Ronald Pascual, Kevin Alas, Jake Pascual and Filipino-foreign dribblers Matt Rosser, Justin Melton and Isaac Holstein.
Bracketed in Group B with Al Ahli Dubai, Mouttahed Tripoli and Al Riyadi Aramex, Gilas will open its bid against Mouttahed on Thursday at the 6,000-seater Rashed Ben Maktoum-Dubai Stadium.
“Everybody is considered as team-to-beat. All teams will be parading at least two imports while we have only one,” said Reyes.
“But it’s okay. The important thing here is to learn and give our cadet pool members the exposure they need,” he added.
Al Riyadi Aramex of Jordan has imports San Sakkakini, Darwin Dorsey and Alpha Bangura, a former Meralco import who saw action for Libya in the 2012 London Olympics.
Ahli Dubai has signed up former New York Knick Cheikh Samb of Senegal and Americans Leroy Hurd and Leemire Goldwire, who had a fantastic stint in the NBA D-League. /inquirer