Toroman out, Chot Reyes in?

MANILA, Philippines — Serbian coach Rajko Toroman will return home next week, his future with Smart-Gilas Pilipinas still uncertain.

Before his departure, Toroman is set to meet with Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Manny V. Pangilinan who has pledged to continue the program until the 2013 FIBA-Asia Championship.

“Ang plano ni Rajko is to go back to Serbia to rest. Sabi ko go ahead,” Pangilinan said. “Gusto niya makipag-usap before he leaves for Serbia, pag-usapan namin what went right, what went wrong with program.”

“But you should take a rest, I told him. Para luminaw ang kanyang pananaw and on my side also, gusto ko rin pag-isipan what went right, what went wrong. So tignan natin. Wala pa namang decision one way or the other,” added Pangilinan.

Toroman, who steered Iran to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was tapped in 2009 to handle the country’s bid to qualify in the 2012 Olympics.

But Gilas lost to Jordan in the semifinals and bowed to South Korea in the battle for the bronze medal in the just-ended FIBA-Asia event, a qualifying event for London.

Source [ ManilaBulletin ]

(UPDATE) Jordan shoots down SMART-Gilas’ London dreams

Breaking the hearts of Filipino fans is getting to become a tradition for the Jordan national basketball team.

In the 2007 FIBA Asia Championship in Tokushima, Japan, a loss to the Jordanians doomed the chances of Chot Reyes’ Philippine team from escaping the opening round of the tournament. In the 2009 edition of the competition in Tianjin, China, Yeng Guiao’s national squad also suffered a bitter quarterfinals defeat at the hands of the same team.

This year in Wuhan, Jordan continued the trend, pummeling SMART-Gilas, 75-61, in their semifinal matchup on Saturday.

As in the past tournaments, the trio of naturalized backcourt dynamo Rasheim Wright, star point guard Sam Daghles, and sharpshooting big man Zaid Abbas did the most damage against the Philippines. Wright, who struggled in the the Philippines’ win over Jordan earlier in the tournament, was brilliant all game long, scoring 24 points. Daghles added 16 points and 4 assists while Abbas had 14 points and four rebounds.

Perhaps just as importantly, Jordan sprung a 2-3 zone that the Philippines couldn’t quite solve all game long.

Marcus Douthit and Jayvee Casio carried the fight for SMART-Gilas with 21 and 16 points, respectively.

The Filipinos started the game oozing with confidence, leading by as much as eight points, 18-10, on two free throws by Marcus Douthit in the first quarter.

But Jordan, which shocked two-time defending champion Iran in the quarterfinals to set a date with the Philippines, managed to get its game going behind Wright, who took over the leadership mantle when Daghles picked up three early fouls in the first period.

With Daghlas out, Jordan became more unpredictable on offense to pull even with the Philippines. Wright continued to terrorize the Philippine defenders, making mincemeat of smaller guards thrown at him. His bucket to end the third period gave Jordan a 49-41 lead.

SMART-Gilas showed some life in the early part of the fourth quarter, energized by Kelly Williams’ rim-rattling follow-up slam as the Filipinos inched closer, 49-46. A Douthit jumper cut the Philippine deficit down to one point..

But still buoyed by their big victory over Iran the previous day, Jordan showed nerves of steel at the height of the Filipinos’ rally, with an Abbas fallaway giving his team second wind.

Jordan also made the Filipinos pay on the defensive end. The Filipinos opted to play a 2-3 zone late in the game, but the Jordanians quickly busted the defense with three quick three-pointers – two from Daghles and one from Abbas as Jordan pulled away anew, 60-48, with 3:54 left in the match.

Another basket by Abbas put Jordan on safer ground, 69-55. Another Wright basket gave his team its largest lead, 75-57, to finally take the fight out of the Filipinos, who made the semifinals of this tournament for the first time since 1987.

The Philippine team will play for the bronze on Sunday against the loser of the other semifinal pairing between China and South Korea. Apart from a podium finish, at stake in the game is a slot in a qualifying tournament for the 2012 London Olympics, the last bus for basketball teams around the world to catch a ticket to the Games.

Source : interaksyon

FIBA Asia: De Ocampo steps up for the Philippines

Wuhan, China – Ranidel De Ocampo has produced the game of his life at the right time, helping guide the Philippines past a determined Chinese Taipei and into the FIBA Asia Championship Semi-Finals for the first time since 1987, and a step closer to their first Olympics since 1972.

The 29-year-old power forward had 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in less than 10 minutes as the Philippines turned a nine-point deficit into a 54-48 lead. De Ocampo would finish with 18 points, five rebounds and three assists in what he rated as perhaps his best ever performance for his country.

“If it’s not the best it’s definitely one of the best,” said De Ocampo, who is playing at his first continental championship after debuting with the national team in 2001. “I am just so happy to be playing at a FIBA Asia Championship, and I am so happy for my country.”

Read Full Article...

SMART-Gilas beats Chinese Taipei, enters FIBA Asia semifinals

The Philippines is one win away from entering the finals of the FIBA Asia Championship for Men in Wuhan, China.

Behind an inspired performance from naturalized center Marcus Douthit, the SMART-Gilas Pilipinas national team defeated a game Chinese Taipei team, 95-78, to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.

Douthit rattled off 37 big points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, and grabbed 10 rebounds in a dominant showing for the SMART-Gilas big man.

But Douthit hardly did everything alone.

Ranidel De Ocampo provided plenty of support, scoring 18 points on an array of impressive moves, and Marcio Lassiter finished with 13 points and eight rebounds on top of his usual tough defensive effort. Jimmy Alapag and Jayvee Casio both finished with eight points apiece.

Chinese Taipei took an early lead in the game as they outhustled the Filipinos to several offensive rebounds, including a couple off of missed free throws. But SMART-Gilas closed the first half with a 14-3 run to take a three-point lead at the half.

The Philippines would take leads of as high as 19 points in the fourth quarter.

But Chinese Taipei made things interesting when they scored 11 straight points, including three triples, to cut an 18-point SMART-Gilas lead down to just seven with about two minutes to go in the game.

Unfortunately for Chinese Taipei, their top big man Tseng Wen-Ting, who led them with 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting, had already fouled out of the game at that point, and the Filipinos would score the last 10 points in the game to complete the final margin.

Chen Hsin-An scored 14 points and Lin Chih-Chieh had 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists but was held to just 3-of-11 from the field by the staunch SMART-Gilas defense.

In the semifinals, the Philippines will face off against familiar face Jordan, whom SMART-Gilas faced in a tune-up game here in Manila before the FIBA Asia tilt and during the second round of this tourney, both SMART-Gilas wins.

Jordan earlier upset tournament favorites Iran in a tight 88-84 encounter.

SOURCE VIA INTERAKSYON

FIBA Asia 2011 Round 2 (Day 7 Game Results) Smart Gilas Pilipinas 75-52 Syria

The Scores:

Philippines 75 - Douthit 20, de Ocampo 8, Tiu 8, Lutz 7, Casio 7, Alapag 6, Lassiter 5, Aguilar 4, Taulava 4, Williams 2, Baracael 2, Barroca 2.

Syria 52 - Al Hamwi 11, Gorges 9, Jilati 8, Nalbandian 6, Alsaman 5, Deeb 4, Osfira 4, Lubus 3, Daks 2, Al Katib 0.

Quarters: 14-11, 23-32, 49-45, 75-52 [COMPLETE GAME STATS]


Philippines vs Syria - Game Highlights (VIDEO)


Quarterfinals (Sept 23, 2011 - Friday)
QF1: (1:30pm) Jordan vs. Iran
QF2: (3:30pm) Korea vs. Japan
QF3: (6:00pm) Philippines vs. Chinese Taipei
QF4: (8:00pm) Lebanon vs. China

Semi-Finals (Sept 24, 2011 - Saturday)
SF1: QF1W vs. QF3W
SF2: QF2W vs. QF4W

Finals (Sept 25, 2011 - Sunday)
Battle for 3rd: SF1L vs. SF2L
Finals: SF1W vs. SF2W

note: FIBA Asia champion will be given an outright berth to the 2012 London Olympics; the 2nd and 3rd placed teams will qualify in the FIBA Olympic Qualifiers

SMART-GILAS TURNS BACK SYRIA, MARCHES TO FIBA ASIA QUARTERFINALS

It took the SMART-Gilas Pilipinas national team 25 minutes to get into a groove against Syria in its crucial last elimination game in the second round of the FIBA Asia Men’s Basketball Championship in Wuhan, China.

The Filipinos fell behind early, but bounced back strong in the second half before hammering out a convincing 75-52 beating of Syria and marching to the quarterfinal round of the Olympic qualifying tournament.

No SMART-Gilas player aside from Marcus Douthit finished in double figures for the squad, but the Filipinos banked on a solid defensive effort in the fourth quarter to finally put away the Syrians.

Douthit finished with 20 points and six rebounds, but was not used in the fourth quarter when the rest of the Gilas players went to work on both ends of the court.

The Filipinos held their counterparts without a basket for over six minutes of the fourth period to break the game wide open.

Marcio Lassiter had a completed three-point play and a bucket, Chris Tiu nailed a three-pointer and Asi Taulava split his charities as the Filipinos coasted to a 64-45 lead before Syria made its first basket of the fourth quarter when the game looked already decided.

The curtains finally fell on the Syrians when Tiu drilled in his second trey of the quarter,

The Filipinos secured their spot in the next round that begins on Friday.

SMART-Gilas came out very relaxed and appeared to take the Syrians lightly, which led to an early deficit in the first half. The Pinoy cagers trailed the entire first half and were down 23-32 at halftime.

But the Philippines outscored Syria, 26-13 in the third period for a 49-45 lead then buckled down to work on the defensive end when they held their rivals to a long scoreless stretch.

In beating the Syrians, the Philippines look likely to secure the No. 2 spot in their group going to the quarterfinal round and should face Chinese Taipei in its next assignment.

SMART-Gilas is looking to be the first Philippine national team to make it to the semifinals of the tournament since the 1987 national side helmed by Joe Lipa that featured PBA legends Alvin Patrimonio, Ronnie Magsanoc, Jojo Lastimosa and Jerry Codinera.

By Reynaldo Belen, InterAKTV

SMART-Gilas deals Japan 1st loss, gains quarterfinals berth

Marcus Douthit scored 25 points, including 17 in the 2nd half, to lead SMART-Gilas past Japan. InterAKTV file photo/Niko Bolante

Another day, another comeback.

One game after surviving Jordan in a controversial game that was put under protest because of eligibility issues surrounding Filipino-Americans Marcio Lassiter and Chriz Lutz, the SMART-Gilas Pilipinas national team sprung another surprise by holding off undefeated Japan, 83-76, in the FIBA Asia Championships for Men Tuesday in Wuhan, China.

The Filipinos jumped off to a 8-2 lead to start the game, but the streaking Japanese went on a 15-0 run that bridged the 1st and 2nd quarters to take a 26-18 lead.

Japan looked like it would take a similar eight-point cushion to halftime before Lassiter finished a layup to beat the buzzer and cut the lead to just six.

SMART-Gilas, behind Marcus Douthit, Kelly Williams and Lassiter, took control of the game with masterful efforts on both ends of the floor in a dominant 26-12 quarter to enter the final period with an eight-point lead at 60-52.

From there, PBA MVP Jimmy Alapag kept the Philippines ahead with timely hits from three-point range and the free throw line. Alapag hit two threes early in the period and went 6-for-8 from the charity stripe as he scored 12 of his 15 points in the crucial 4th quarter.

Douthit scored a game-high 25 points, including 17 in a dominant second half, to lead the Filipinos in the win. Lassiter added 15 points while Williams scored 12.

Joji Takeuchi scored 22 points to lead Japan but missed a layup in the final minute that could have cut the SMART-Gilas lead down to just four.

Alapag knocked in two free throws to extend the lead to 82-74, but Chris Tiu made the mistake of fouling a Japanese player taking a three-pointer to give up three free throws.

Japan made two and intentionally missed the third shot, but the Filipinos successfully recovered the board and got the ball to Alapag, who completed the final margin with a split from the free throw line.

Japan stayed close by waxing hot from three-point range, knocking in 12 of their 33 shots from beyond the arc. But they missed plenty of easy opportunities from the charity stripe, hitting just 16-for-28 for a 57.1 percent clip.

With the win, the Philippines tied Japan in their group with similar 3-1 records, behind just China at 3-0. A win over Syria on Wednesday would likely give SMART-Gilas the 2nd seed in their group and the opportunity to avoid tougher competition in their first assignment in the knockout stage.

Source interaksyon

FIBA ASIA: PHL SMART GILAS VS JAPAN (REPLAY VIDEO) - 20 SEPTEMBER 2011

The Scores:
Philippines 83 - Douthit 25 (18r), Alapag 15, Lassiter 15, Williams 12, Barroca 6, de Ocampo 4, Casio 4, Taulava 2. Lutz 0, Tiu 0.

Japan 76 - J.Takeuchi 22, Shonaka 14, Hirose 13, T.Kawamura 12, K.Takeuchi 6, Ishizaki 5, Amino 4, Sakurai 0, Takeda 0, Kashiwagi 0, Matsui 0.

Quarters: 18-23, 34-40, 60-52, 83-76 [COMPLETE GAME STATS]

• PART 1
• PART 2
• PART 3
• PART 4

SMART-Gilas comes back to defeat Jordan as Lassiter, Lutz return

Buoyed by the return of previously disallowed players, the SMART-Gilas Pilipinas national team bucked a bad start to turn back a familiar foe in Jordan, 72-64, in the 2011 FIBA-Asia Championship in Wuhan, China.

Naturalized center Marcus Douthit bounced back after injuring his ankle in the third quarter to lead the Philippine team with 19 points and 15 rebounds, while Marcio Lassiter finally made his tournament debut with 14 points highlighted by four three-pointers.

SMART-Gilas was once again the recipient of bad news after being told by FIBA Asia officials that Filipino-American wingmen Lassiter and Chris Lutz were once again being barred from playing, mere minutes before the start of the game. This happened even though the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas was able to secure clearance from the FIBA head office for the two players to finally suit up, after missing the first round of the competition because of questions about their eligibility.

The bad tidings seemed to weigh heavily on the Filipinos, who allowed their opponents to run out to a 17-5 lead behind nine points by Jordan star point guard Sam Daghles.

SMART-Gilas was able to right the ship momentarily after springing a 2-3 zone on Jordan coupled with timely sniping for Jimmy Alapag. At the end of the first quarter, the Filipinos managed to trim the lead to a more manageable nine points, 20-11.

Meanwhile, the Philippine team also got a break off the court, after tournament officials in the arena received a phone call from FIBA advising them of the decision to allow Lassiter and Lutz to play.

“Supposedly, FIBA Asia [officials] in Wuhan claimed [that the] letter of decision from [the FIBA office in] Geneva was not clear [about the status of Lassiter and Lutz' eligibility],” said SBP executive director Sonny Barrios. “[FIBA secretary-general Patrick Baumann] called them to straighten it out.”

Lassiter and Lutz checked in to the game shortly after the phone call from FIBA. While SMART-Gilas opened the second quarter with another shaky start, the Philippine team was able to trim the lead down to five points, 31-26, at halftime as Jordan struggled because of Daghlas’ foul trouble.

The Filipinos looked visibly energized to start the second half, tying the game quickly. They had a brief scare at the 5:23 mark of the third quarter as Douthit went out of the game limping as he rolled his ankle after stepping on the foot of a Jordanian defender. He would return to the game, and SMART-Gilas took a six-point lead, 47-41, on back-to-back three-pointers by Lassiter and Alapag.

Jordan, however, bounced back with six straight points of its own to tie the game heading into the fourth quarter, 47-all.

SMART-Gilas opened the fourth quarter with a 12-4 run to take a 59-51 lead capped by Lassiter’s fourth three-pointer. But a pair of fouls on Lutz — a personal and a technical — swayed the momentum and allowed Jordan to creep back into the game. A three-pointer by Daghlas with 3:36 remaining in the game cut the Philippine lead to two points, 64-62.

The two teams exchanged baskets, and Jordan had a golden opportunity to take the lead. But Rasheim Wright missed an open three-pointer in transition with 36 seconds to go, and steady free-throw shooting by SMART-Gilas — two each from Chris Tiu and Kelly Williams — allowed the team to hold on to the victory. A reverse dunk by Williams toward the end of the game sealed the final score.

Despite the victory, the bad news may not yet be over for the Philippine team. Reports coming out of Wuhan indicate that Jordan is putting the game under protest because of Lassiter and Lutz’ performance.

Daghlas led Jordan with 18 points, but the trio of Lutz, Lassiter, and Tiu hounded him into shooting just 4-of-12 from the field, including 1-of-8 from the two-point area. Rasheim Wright had 16 points, but missed all nine of his three-point attempts, while Zaid Abbas carried the fight in the frontcourt for Jordan with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Source interaksyon

Lutz, Lassiter cleared to play for SMART-Gilas game vs Jordan

SMART-Gilas Pilipinas national team swingmen Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz will finally get clearance to see action in the ongoing FIBA Asia Championship. A highly-placed basketball official told InterAKTV that the two Filipino-American players will be cleared to play before the start of the SMART-Gilas’ second round campaign on Monday.

“Their clearance is to be signed by Patrick Baumann, FIBA secretary-general, anytime now,” wrote the official, who requested anonymity, in a text message to InterAKTV late Sunday night.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Sonny Barrios said that his office is still awaiting official communication from FIBA.

“Nothing official yet on my end,” wrote Barrios in a text message. “I hope it is true, but we have to wait for official written decision before I can officially confirm.”

The SBP decided to raise the matter to the FIBA leadership in Switzerland after hitting a roadblock with FIBA Asia officials. Lassiter and Lutz missed all three of the national team’s games in the first round of competition after eligibility issues were raised against them by FIBA Asia deputy secretary-general Hagop Khajirian.

Continure reading at interaksyon

Gilas Rips UAE Sans 2 Ineligible Fil-Ams

Not even the sidelining of key Fil-Am wingmen Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz could prevent Smart Gilas Pilipinas from making an impressive start in the 26th FIBA Asia championship at the Wuhan Sports Centre here last night.

The Nationals rallied behind Lassiter and Lutz and clobbered the United Arab Emirates side, 92-52.

We’re already small team and then we became the smallest in the world (minus Lassiter and Lutz). But it’s not time to cry. We’ll fight whatever happens,” said Smart Gilas coach Rajko Toroman.
Nobody knows what’s going to happen tomorrow. It would be great if we can have the two. If not, we’ll still be there fighting,” Toroman added.

The Smart Gilas mentor couldn’t understand why FIBA waited for the eve of the tournament to decide on these eligibilities.

We could have done something different. We could have put in (reserve) Dylan Ababou. Now we are not allowed to put in anybody else (as replacement),” rued Toroman.

The Nationals took sometime to get their game going, but there’s no stopping them as soon as they found their rhythm.

“It was a tough situation. We’re distracted. We’re only able to get going as we set it aside and focused on the game,” said Asi Taulava, leading Smart Gilas with a double double game with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Mac Baracael, playing the wing spot with Lassiter and Lutz out, led all scorers with 15 points with Marcus Douthit, Jayvee Casio, Mark Barroca and Chris Tiu adding at least nine points each.
Baracael himself scored the first basket for the Filipinos with already three minutes into the game. UAE scored the game’s first five points.

The Nationals established control towards the end of the first quarter and roared on to the finish.

Toroman said they would have to make big adjustments to make it if Lassiter and Lutz are not given the green light to play.

But he said federation officials back home are doing something.

“We might have to put some guys in positions they don’t play before. We’re facing tough circumstances,” said Toroman.

In the earlier games on the first day of competition, Jordan drubbed Syria, 71-58; Iran topped Chinese Taipei, 49-37; and Korea clobbered Malaysia, 89-42.

(source: Phil Star)

Douthit, Tiu Players Left in Smart Gilas

Smart Gilas Pilipinas may end up with just naturalized Marcus Douthit and team captain Chris Tiu and a handful of collegiate players as its core in the program in the next two years after giving its mainstays the green light to turn pro.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas vice chairman Ricky Vargas yesterday confirmed no extension contracts have been tendered to JV Casio and Fil-Ams Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz although they are three of the five eyed to lead Smart Gilas campaign in the 2014 FIBA World Championship.

“We’re not going to make offers to the players, we’ll let them join this Sunday’s rookie draft,” said Vargas, also the president of Maynilad Water and the man at helm of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines.

Aside from the FIBA Asia Championship in China next month, Smart Gilas will vie in the 2013 FIBA-Asia Championship where the top three finishers will advance to the FIBA Worlds, which is set in Spanish cities of Bilbao, Granada, Las Palmas, Sevilla, Barcelona and Madrid.

With no qualifying offers, Smart Gilas practically gave up on Casio, Lutz and Lassiter, who have all entered the draft alongside fellow Nationals Mac Baracael, Mark Barroca, Dylan Ababou and Jason Ballesteros, all potential first round picks.

Tiu, however, decided to forego his chance to turn pro at the last minute as he opted to stick it out with the Smart Gilas program, formed three years ago.

The current Smart Gilas players are set to see action in the FIBA-Asia Championship slated Sept. 15-25 in Wuhan, China where a lone berth in next year’s London Olympics is at stake.

After Wuhan, Smart Gilas will be forced to start with Douthit and Tiu along with seven-footer Greg Slaughter and 6-6 Aldrech Ramos, who are not part of the Wuhan squad due to their commitment to their respective UAAP schools Ateneo and Far Eastern U.

The fate of Japeth Aguilar, on the other hand, will depend on Talk n Text, which took him via a trade from Air21 two years ago.

Smart Gilas could also tap some Fil-foreign players, including Chris Banchero or some of the country’s top collegiate players like Ateneo’s Kiefer Ravena, National U’s Bobby Ray Parks, FEU’s RR Garcia, San Beda’s Garvo Lanete, San Sebastian’s Calvin Abueva and Ronald Pascual or Letran’s Kevin Alas.

(source: Phil Star)

Gilas Plays vs Jordan, Qatar in Tune-up

Smart Gilas Pilipinas will play a couple of games each against Jordan and Qatar from Sept. 8-11 in Manila for its final tune-up matches for the FIBA-Asia Championship slated Sept. 15-25 in Wuhan, China.

“We’re finalizing the details but Jordan and Qatar are coming over to play Smart Gilas in a pair of tune-up games,” said Smart Gilas manager Frankie Lim.

The upcoming matches will also mark the first time that Talk n Text reinforcements Jimmy Alapag, Kelly Williams and Ranidel de Ocampo will be playing with the Nationals.

Coach Rajko Toroman has given Alapag, Williams and de Ocampo a week to rest owing to their grueling PBA Governors Cup campaign.

The troika will actually join the team’s practice on Aug. 29.

“We’re hoping for more games but we take whatever we can take for Smart Gilas to practice, train and play together as a full team,” said Toroman.

Smart Gilas has played Jordan twice, winning the first, 76-74, in the final game of the group matches in the 22nd FIBA-Asia Champions Cup in Pasig City last June.

The Jordanians, however, struck back with a 76-72 win in the elims of the recent Jones Cup in Chinese Taipei.

Qatar, on the other hand, defeated Smart Gilas, 71-64, in the battle for third, also in the FIBA-Asia Champions Cup.

“It would be good for us because Qatar and Jordan both have a chance to play well in Wuhan,” said Toroman.

(source: Phil Star)

2011 Jones Cup: Smart Gilas Beats Japan, Gains Semis (VIDEO)

Smart Gilas Pilipinas gained entry into the semifinals of the 2011 Jones Cup. Smart Gilas beat Japan, 94-78, to clinch the fourth semifinal slot in the tournament. The Philippine national team to the Jones Cup thus finishes the elimination round with a 5-2 win-loss card, with its two losses coming from Jordan and South Korea.

Smart Gilas Pilipinas needed to win this match against Japan to gain an outright semifinals berth and avoid a complicated tie and tie-breaking siyuation with other teams in the competition.

Leading the standings is still South Korea with a 5-1 record followed by the Philippines and Iran with identical 5-2 slates. The last semifinal slot is still up for grabs between Jordan and Chinese Taipei. The hosts are currently in action against South Korea.

The Jones Cup 2011 semifinals start tomorrow.

PART 1


PART 2


PART 3


PART 4

Gilas runs over UAE to keep semis bid alive

CHINESE TAIPEI – Smart Gilas Pilipinas needed a strong, bullying effort from naturalized Marcus Douthit in the first half before finishing off a youthful, inexperienced United Arab Emirates side with a series of dizzying runs in the last two quarters to hack out a 95-60 rout to inch closer to the semifinals in the William Jones Cup at the Hsinjhuang Stadium in New Taipei City here.

The 6-10 Douthit towered above everyone else and bulldozed his way to 23 points by making eight of his 11 shots while adding seven from the foul line and spiked his strong offensive game with a game-high 13 rebounds that sent the Nationals to their fourth win against two losses.


Fil-Ams Chris Lutz and Marcio Lassiter and Asi Taulava, who was one of the two players loaned by the PBA in this nine-day joust that serves as tune up for the FIBA-Asia Championship slated Sept. 15-25 in Wuhan, China where a 2012 London Olympic berth is at stake, chipped in 13, 10 and 10 points, respectively.

The win though isn't enough to send the Filipinos into the semis as they would need to beat Japan, which earlier slammed Malaysia to remain in contention with a 3-3 (win-loss) slate, at 5 p.m. tomorrow to avoid complications of a tie or ties in case of a defeat and advance automatically.

Continue Reading at philstar.com

Koreans Buck JV Heroics, Pip Gilas

By Joey Villar (The Philippine Star) - MANILA, Philippines - South Korea withstood JV Casio’s brilliant offensive game then imposed its will in the paint before pouncing on Smart Gilas Pilipinas’ miscues down the stretch to pull off a 78-70 victory last night and clinch a berth in the semifinals of the William Jones Cup at the Hsinchuang Stadium in New Taipei City here.

Oh Se Keun, a 6-7 brawny power forward, and Ha Seung Jin, the second tallest player here at 7-3, dominated the smaller Smart Gilas side on their way to 19 and 16 points, respectively, while pesky guard Yang Dong Geun fired four triples and finished with 17 points for the Koreans, who remained the only unbeaten team in the tournament with five wins.

“Our inside and outside games worked and we played with defensive intensity,” said Hur Jae, a former national team standout now calling the shots for Korea, which is managed by another local legend Shin Dong Pa, through an interpreter.

Casio came through with one of his prolific games and fired a game-high 27 points, including a spectacular 15-point splurge in the third quarter when the Nationals turned a 12-point deficit into two-point leads twice late in the period before Oh tied it at 56 entering the final period.

Casio tried to carry the fight for Smart Gilas but lost steam in the last quarter, committing four turnovers in the final two minutes of play as the Nationals reeled to their second defeat against three wins to drop into a three-way tie for third with defending titlist Iran and Jordan.

“Our turnovers late in the game cost us the win,” said Smart Gilas mentor Rajko Toroman, hoping to steer the team to its first title here since the Alaska-mentored Centennial squad went all the way in 1998.

Despite the setback, Smart Gilas remains in the hunt for a semis berth although it must beat winless United Arab Emirates at 3 p.m. today. The Nationals close out their elims campaign against Japan at 5 p.m. tomorrow.

The semis is set on Saturday with the finals slated Sunday.

Toroman again lashed out at officiating after naturalized Marcus Douthit went into foul trouble early, slowing down the team’s offensive threat. He, however, finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

“The small referee made a crucial call and put Marcus out of the game,” said Toroman referring to a Malaysian ref, who was one of the three who officiated the controversial Taipei-Jordan game marred by a bench-clearing incident.

“I changed him because of the bad call, they changed the game and Korea made the crucial run. Very, very bad referees and the level of refs are terrible, can’t follow the level of games internationally.

“The last time two neutral refs officiating started the fight last night (Tuesday) and it’s a crime against basketball. They will continue and I don’t know what we can do but the officiating is not good with all the teams not just Smart Gilas,” he added.



Earlier, defending back-to-back champion Iran needed a mighty second half push to wallop Malaysia, 69-49, to keep its flickering semifinal hopes and improve to a 3-2 (win-loss) slate.

Jordan, which roared to a 3-0 start including a 76-72 win over Smart Gilas Monday, lost a second straight game to Japan in a stunning 70-87 defeat. The Jordanians earlier dropped a protest-marred 75-77 defeat to Chinese Taipei.

Jordan put its Taipei loss under protest after the latter escaped sanction for a bench-clearing incident that happened early in the fourth quarter.

“I think the game was inspirational for Taipei. They played intelligently. Unfortunately, they don’t deserve to win, neither deserved to win,” Baldwin said. “All of my 30 years in basketball, playing and coaching, this is the only game that lacked integrity almost from the beginning.”

“There is a very simple rule, to protect the players and to prevent fights and brawls during games. Players leaving the bench must be disqualified in the game. No exemption to the rule. No excuse, they should be disqualified,” he added.

Toroman, a veteran on the Asian circuit who steered Iran to the Olympics and FIBA Worlds, slammed the organizers and threatened to pull out the team if neutral referee of Hong Kong would continue to work the games.

Baldwin, who snubbed the post game interview after the painful Japan loss, also warned they’re not playing if the Hong Kong referee, Yuen Chun Yip, will officiate their future games.

More Gilas members in draft

Source MB.COM.PH - MANILA, Philippines — Three stalwarts of Smart-Gilas Pilipinas and two amateur standouts were the latest personalities who made themselves available for the coming PBA Annual Draft at the Robinsons Place Manila.

The names of Andy Mark Barroca, Mac Baracael, and Jason Ballesteros had been included in the list of 20 names so far comprising the selection for the Aug. 28 event – the first official activity of the league for the 2011-12 season.

Barroca and Baracael, former teammates with Far Eastern University, and Ballesteros are currently in New Taipei City as part of the Smart Gilas squad seeing action in the William Jones Cup basketball tournament.

Also adding luster to the Draft are Eric Salamat, a key player in Ateneo’s three straight UAAP championships, and former University of the East star James Martinez.

Prospective rookie applicants – both homegrown and foreign-bred players – have until Aug 18 to submit their respective application and other requirements.

Powerade owns the privilege of selecting first in the Draft after winning the lottery over Air21 and Meralco last Sunday.

Two other members of the national team bound for Wuhan, China next month for the FIBA-Asia Olympic qualifier for the 2012 London Games already submitted their applications earlier, namely, Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz.

For this year, only Fil-foreign players who donned the national colors and are over the PBA D-League age limit of 26 years old are allowed to join the Draft.

Application and papers of all applicants will still be scrutinized before the Commissioner’s Office comes out with the final list of candidates eligible to attend the Rookie Camp set August 23 to 26.

Other fresh applicants include San Sebastian teammates Gilbert Bulawan and John Raymundo, the University of the Visayas pair of Mark Ababon and Ariel Mepana, and Santo Tomas’ Allein Maliksi.

Completing the Draft list are Nino Nabong, Christopher Pestano, Raymond Montaniel, Marc Cagoco, Alvyn Cabonce, Christopher Concepcion, Felimon Fernandez and Marvin Graebel.

After Powerade, Rain or Shine owns the no. 2 pick, followed by Air21, Powerade, and Shopinas – the former Barako Bull franchise now owned by the Lina Group of Companies.

Gilas Yields to Jordan at Crunch

By Joey Villar (The Philippine Star) - CHINESE TAIPEI – A hardworking Smart Gilas team held its own the final minute but succumbed to miscues and inroads of fatigue to bow to Jordan, 72-76, for its first loss in three outings in the Williams Jones Cup at the Hsinchuang Stadium in New Taipei City here yesterday.

The rigors of pulling off two tough, grueling wins against defending back-to-back champion Iran and host Chinese Taipei appeared to have taken their toll on the Nationals, who struggled against a Jordan team that came off easy victories over Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates.

Ali Jamal Zaghab, a back-up big man who assumed the starting center spot after Ayman Idais retired, surprised the Filipinos by outplaying naturalized Marcus Douthit and scoring a team-high 17 points he spiked with eight rebounds, including four offensive that resulted to easy putbacks.

The 6-10 Douthit, who came into the game averaging a league-high 23 points, got shackled by the roughhousing tactics by the Jordanians and was held to just 10 points and seven rebounds. He fouled out late in the game.

“We did a great job on Marcus Douthit, he’s a dangerous player and our big guys played tough and with great intensity and they have real purpose today (yesterday),” said Jordan’s American coach Thomas Baldwin, who took over from Portuguese mentor Mario Palma this year.

“We gave up something in the perimeter but our focus is trying to take him (Douthit) out of the game by going zone.

“It was a great win for us, I think the Phl team is a team that is getting better and better every year and as Iran found out a couple of days ago, they’re not easy to beat anymore. Now is like when you beat the Phl, you’re beating a very fast, very skilled good basketball team,” he added.

But coach Rajko Toroman threatened to walk out of the tournament if a particular “neutral referee” would continue to officiate the Phl’s games.



Toroman, a veteran on the Asian circuit who steered Iran to the Olympics and FIBA Worlds, slammed the organizers and threatened to pull out the team if neutral referee Yuen Chun Yip of Hong Kong would continue to work the games.

“If we see this referee again in our next game, we will walk out, we’ll go home,” said an furious Toroman referring to Yuen, who also officiated Smart Gilas’ 90-78 win over host Chinese Taipei Sunday night.

“This guy is killing us yesterday. How many referees you have? 16? And you put this same referee to officiate us?

“If this guy steps in, we’ll go home because his level of officiating is terrible, I never saw this kind of officiating in my whole life. He doesn’t know what is a foul and what is not a foul. I don’t have problems if he makes mistakes but this guy is purposely killing us two straight times, what is his reason?” he added.

Mark Barroca carried the fight for the Filipinos in the early going as he poured in 13 points that made up for his scoreless effort in a win over the Taiwanese while Mac Baracael and Chris Lutz took turns in filling in the slack left by Douthit, who was obviously affected by the bad calls.

Osama Daghles, a 6-5 point guard who is a veteran of the Chinese Basketball League, Zaid Abbas and comebacking Rashiem Wright, a naturalized guard, poured in 16, 14 and 12 points, respectively, although it was Jordanian-Russian Enver Soobzokov who nailed the two triples that broke the back of the Filipinos and their zone defense.

“They went zone (defense) in the fourth quarter, if Enver (Soobzokov) didn’t hit a couple of threes, we will definitely lose the game. I’m very happy he nailed those three-pointers, those were the difference,” said Baldwin.

JV Casio kept the Filipinos with a pair of clutch triples, including one with a little over a minute to go that trimmed the deficit to just a point, 73-74.

Smart Gilas regained possession but Lassiter stepped out of bounds with 39 seconds to go, paving the way for Daghles’ two insurance charities.

The Filipinos were also outrebounded by the Jordanians, 27-39, including 24 on the offensive end by the latter that led to several follow up opportunities.

The Jordanians started out strong by dominating the boards but the Filipinos recovered grounds and forced a series of lead changes before the former regained control, 21-18, at the end of the first period.

The Filipinos went into a 12-3 spree at the start of the second quarter to seize a 30-24 lead, their biggest in the half.

Jordan though went into a 10-4 tear to go into the break with a 34-32 edge.

The Filipinos, meanwhile, hope to bounce back as they play the winless Malaysians at 3 p.m. today before tangling with the dangerous South Koreans at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Smart Gilas will then collide with winless United Arab Emirates at 3 p.m. on Thursday before closing out its elimination round campaign against Japan at 5 p.m. on Friday.

The semifinal round is scheduled on Saturday while the championship and battle for third place on Sunday.

TALLER JORDANIANS DEAL TIRED SMART-GILAS FIRST JONES CUP LOSS

by Jaemark Tordecilla, InterAKTV - The SMART-Gilas Pilipinas national team put up a gallant fight, but ultimately ran out of steam to absorb a 76-72 loss at the hands of a heftier Jordan squad at the 2011 Jones Cup in Taipei.

Clutch hits by Sam Daghles and Enver Soobzokov carried the day for Jordan, which had a hard time putting away a Philippine team that kept fighting despite being undersized and tired.

2011 Jones Cup results

Day 3: Taller Jordanians deal tired SMART-Gilas first Jones Cup loss

Day 2: SMART-Gilas cruises to 2nd Jones Cup win over Chinese Taipei

Day 1: SMART-Gilas pulls off king-size upset over mighty Iran

Jordan looked ready to put the game away midway through the fourth period after taking a nine-point lead, 62-53, on a fastbreak dunk by Wright. But Douthit, Baracael, and Dondon Hontiveros conspired on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to a single point.

Back-to-back fastbreak layups by Jordan pushed the lead back to five, 66-61, but SMART-Gilas responded with a three-point play from Douthit and a basket by Baracael.

A Daghlas three-pointer sandwiched an exchange of two three-pointers each by Zoobzokov and Casio to give Jordan a 71-69 lead. But Marcio Lassiter committed a crucial turnover with 37.9 seconds left, giving Daghlas an opportunity to ice the game with two free throws after drawing Douthit’s 5th foul in the ensuing possession.

Both teams were playing their third game in three days, but the Philippines had a much more difficult schedule in the first two days of the competition, when they defeated Iran and Chinese Taipei. Jordan, meanwhile, beat up on lightweights United Arab Emirates and Malaysia in its first two matches.

The difference in energy level between the two squads became apparent soon after tip-off, as athletic Jordan forward Ali Zaghab ran rings around the SMART-Gilas big men Marcus Douthit and Japeth Aguilar. The Philippine frontcourt duo, who had played so well in the team’s first two victories, looked visibly lethargic in the match.

Douthit, who averaged 23.5 points in his first two games to top-score for SMART-Gilas, was held to 10 points, while Aguilar scored just one basket, as they faced a monster frontcourt of Zaghab and versatile forward Zaid Abbas for most of the game.

Spitfire guard Mark Barroca kept the Filipinos in the game in the first quarter, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the opening period. But Jordan, who also enjoyed a large size advantage in the backcourt with the 6-foot-6 Sam Daghles and the 6-foot-3 Rasheim Wright, were able to shackle the SMART-Gilas guards, rendering Barroca and Jayvee Casio largely ineffective.

But the Philippine team showed its fighting heart, staying within striking distance against Jordan all throughout the contest. Timely hits from Mac Baracael and Chris Lutz kept the team in the game, even as Jordan tried to impose its will against the undersized Filipinos.

With his players out of sorts, Toroman dug deep into his bag of tricks to give his team a chance. He sprung a zone defense starting late in the third quarter and throughout most of the fourth quarter, daring the bigger Jordanians to shoot from outside instead. He also gave extended minutes to Baracael and Asi Taulava in lieu of Douthit and Aguilar, while inserting Chris Tiu, who normally plays the shooting guard spot, to play point guard for the team.

Barroca’s 13 points was good for top-scoring honors for SMART-Gilas, which also drew ten points apiece from Douthit, Baracael, and Lutz. Tiu added eight points.

Zaghab scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half to lead Jordan, while Daghlas had 16 points and seven assists in a fine quarterbacking perfomance. Abbas added 17 points and eight rebounds while Rasheim Wright had 12 points, six rebounds, and five assists.