They want Smart Gilas back

Besided bagging the third-place trophy in the 21st Dubai International Basketball Tournament last month, Smart Gilas has also earned the organizers’ fancy and has been asked to return next month for a four-team tournament—all expenses paid.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) executive director Noli Eala told the BusinessMirror on Wednesday that they have been invited to play in the Al Ahli Cup.

“They loved Gilas so much. The organizers have offered to pay for all expenses just so we can play versus three other teams there,” said Eala.

The Al Ahli Cup is slated from March 23 to 28 where Al Riyadi of Lebanon, Syria’s Al Jalaa and the national team of the United Arab Emirates will participate.

Smart Gilas, despite playing almost All-Filipino for most of the Dubai International, shocked the field with a gritty performance and landed in the top three of the 10-team tournament where most of the clubs fielded three imports.

Behind skipper Chris Tiu, JV Casio, Mac Baracael, Mark Barroca and Jason Ballesteros, the Philippine developmental squad managed to reach the semifinals and beat Syria’s Al Jalaa for third place with Jamal Sampson watching at the sidelines.

Sampson, the second American to be hired to beef up the squad, was eventually kicked out. Frankie Lim is currently in the United States looking for a replacement who can also be naturalized in time for the qualifying events for the 2012 London Olympics.

Eala said Gilas is supposed to compete in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (Seaba) Champions Cup from March 3 to 7, but the SBP has not yet been informed if the tournament will push through.

The Seaba Champions Cup is a qualifying tournament for the International Basketball Federation (Fiba)-Asia Champions Cup from May 7 to 15 in Doha, Qatar. Last year Gilas finished fifth in the same tournament with CJ Giles, the team’s original pick to be its naturalized player, as its reinforcement.

With the Seaba joust on the brink of being canceled for the second-straight year, Eala said Gilas’ next commitment is an invitational tournament in Australia.

“We’re confirmed to play in Australia in March. We’ll play against the Perth Wildcats and we’re just awaiting two more teams,” he said.

In their Australia trip, Gilas is expected to have Filipino-American Chris Lutz, a six-foot-two shooting guard from Marshall University, in the lineup.

Gilas is also participating in the Stankovic Cup qualifier from April 2 to 6 and a series of exhibition games in Serbia in late April.

The squad will again train at the Joe Abunassar camp in Las Vegas this May, where they hope to find new Fil-Ams that could beef up the national team in time for the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, in late November.

Source: Joel Orellana  | BusinessMirror.com.ph