Smart Gilas Pilipinas plunges into action in Dubai

Dubai, UAE – Smart Gilas Team Pilipinas will be facing the Goliaths of Middle East basketball when they go up against the region’s best squad in the 21st Dubai International Basketball Championship at the Al Ahli Sports Club.

The tournament, scheduled from Jan. 14 to 23, starts Thursday night with the Rajko Toroman-coached Team Pilipinas taking on Syria’s Al Jalaa in the 9 p.m. (1 a.m. Manila time) opening match. The Syrian squad is backed up by American imports Zendon Hamilton, Thompson Garnett and Demetric Shaw.

Smart Gilas is in Group B and will have Champville Lebanon as its next opponent on Friday. They will take on Jordan’s Zain on Sunday and will wrap up the tournament against UAE’s Al Nasr on Monday.

Serbian coach Toroman said that this will be the toughest tournament for the RP developmental squad, which is bannered by collegiate amateur standouts whose goal is to qualify for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Toroman said that games in the Dubai International are much tougher compared to the two-import FIBA-Asia Champions Cup since the other competing squads boast of three reinforcements that stands between 6-foot-10 to 7-foot-2.

Toroman said Iran, Jordan and Lebanon are the team’s to beat in the tournament since they will up against taller and stocky players.

He, however, said his wards remain focused on their goal to earn a spot in the 2012 Olympics.

"I see the future of Philippine basketball in my boys," said Toroman, who previously coached Iran at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, "We have a unique program and we get a lot of international exposure."

UAE’s Filipino community is all out in their support for the National team and even played a tune up match last Monday at the Al Nasr Gym against a team composed of former MBA and PBL players now based in UAE.

Japeth Aguilar wowed the crowd by making several exhibition dunks while GMA TV host Chris Tiu received the wildest cheers from the predominantly female audience and even chanted "Nobody, Nobody but Tiu" to the tune of Korean pop sensation Wonder Girls’ ‘Nobody, Nobody But You’.

Other members of the team are UAAP Season 72 most valuable player Dylan Ababou, co-captain Mark Barroca, Mac Baracael, JV Casio, RJ Jazul, Jason Balesteros, Greg Slaughter, Maggie Sison, Marcio Lassiter and Jamal Sampson, a stocky 6-foot-11 former NBA journeyman being eyed as a naturalized player.

Source: Author Unknown  | gmanews.tv