TRAINING its sights on the FIBA Asia Cup next month in Indonesia and the World Cup the country is co-hosting two years from now, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan wants to field a competitive Gilas Pilipinas squad.
Coach Tab Baldwin said Pangilinan’s order is for the nationals to toughen up by playing tune-up games or seeing action in pocket tournaments.
“When MVP speaks, we all perk up both ears and make sure we absorb exactly what he says,” Baldwin said last Saturday on Radyo5 92.3 News FM’s Power and Play program hosted by former PBA Commissioner Noli Eala.
“The essence of what the boss is saying is we need games. And he’s absolutely right,” he added.
Baldwin admitted playing in pocket tilts overseas hinges largely on a lot of things, especially on the budget.
“How we go back getting those games, what games are available, what budgets exist for us to access those games because to be perfectly honest, if we could go play in pocket tournaments in Serbia, in Germany, in France, in Estonia, and Argentina, they would be better prepared,” Baldwin said.
“As long as they’re consistently available and we could have budget to go, that would be preferable.”
With the PBA set to open its long-delayed 46th season on Friday after getting the green light from the government, Baldwin admitted joining as a guest team in the pro league remains an option.
“That’s the ideal world, and sometimes, all of a sudden, we don’t live in the ideal world. We live in our own world,” he said.
“And we have to make the best with it. And the PBA is certainly, you know, a potential possibility for us.”
The all-amateur Philippine five proved its worth in the third window of the Asia Cup qualifiers in Clark where the team completed an emphatic 3-0 sweep and 6-0 record overall.
Gilas also view for a Tokyo Games slot in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Belgrade, Serbia.
