MANILA, 27 September — Indeed, the predominant feeling right now in the Philippine basketball republic is that the country has the best chance of finally bringing home the Asian Games basketball gold the Filipinos last won 40 years ago.
Many onlookers believe the Philippines — thanks to the Philippine Basketball Association’s veritable source of Fil-foreign players, particularly Fil-Ams — can give the opposition, particularly long-time champion China, a run for their money.
The presence of Fil-foreign players in national coach Jong Uichico’s team has revived the country’s hopes of reclaiming regional supremacy in a sport the Filipinos regard as a virtual religion. The influx of foreign-bred players has given many observers new reason to believe that the national quintent can dethrone the Chinese — Asian champions since 1986 — on Sept. 28-Oct. 14 in Busan, South Korea.
Rightly so, the staging of the quadrennial meet could very well be the biggest acid test for the PBA, which for the past three editions of the Games has represented the country and carried the burden of trying to live up to the Filipinos’ expectations of winning the Asiad gold they last won in 1962 in Jakarta.
Yet many are also saying that the Filipinos are facing an uphill climb in their bid to recapture the Philippines’ reputation as Asia’s No. 1 in basketball. Before they will have to consider China or South Korea as their most probable opponents for the gold, the nationals will have to first look closely at the other credible contenders, among them Japan, Lebanon and Kazakhstan.
Four years since the last Asian Games in 1998 where the national team settled for a bronze medal, when it was known as the Centennial Team, the Philippines will embark on a mission yet again to virtually scale China’s Great Wall with the help of much taller, heftier, quicker and talented Fil-foreign players.
Making up today’s Philippine team are PBA stars Jeffrey Cariaso, Kenneth Duremdes, Dennis Espino, Boy Fernandez, Rudy Hatfield, Dondon Hontiveros, Danny Ildefonso, Chris Jackson, Eric Menk, Mick Pennisi, Olsen Racela, Andy Seigle, Danny Seigle, Noy Castillo and Asi Taulava.
With 6-9 giants like Taulava, Andy Seigle as well as 6-6 Espino, 6-6 Danny Seigle, 6-5 Menk and 6-5 Ildefonso, the Philippine team is the tallest, and perhaps the most talented ever assembled for the Asian Games.
"This is the best team that can give the Philippines the best shot to win the Asian Games gold," said Uichico.
This marks the fourth time since the open basketball was introduced in 1990 that the PBA will be sending a selection to the Asian Games.
The immediate goal is to improve on a bronze medal finish in 1998. The biggest task, however, is obviously to reclaim the throne from defending champion China. The Philippines will be facing China’s basketball version of its Great Wall — the 7-foot-6 Yao Ming, 7-foot-1 Wang Zhizhi and 6-11 Menk Batere.
Still, the multititled Uichico, who took over the coaching job after American Ron Jacobs suffered a stroke last year, remains non-committal on the chances of his wards, but he vowed they will go out fighting.
Earlier, there were reports Danny Seigle had torn his left achilles heel that could be a serious blow for the nationals’ campaign.
PBA resident physician Benedicto Salud said the ace swingman’s injury may require surgery that would virtually put the 6-foot-5 San Miguel Beer superstar out of commission in Busan for good.
"This is the first time I felt not good after winning a game. If Danny must be operated on, there’s no way he could play for us in the Asian Games," said Uichico after the nationals’ 78-61 victory over the Qataris in an exhibition match.
Seigle hurt his heel after a bad fall early in the third quarter. "It’s very unfortunate but we brace ourselves for that eventuality," said Uichico, who will activate two cagers from the reserve roster after the younger Seigle joined his brother, Andy, in the injury list.
Andy Seigle suffered from back spasms even before the RP-Qatar match and may also miss the Asiad. With Seigle out, Uichico said he will name his replacement this week when they’re already in Busan. "It looks really bad, but we’ll have to carry on,’’ said Uichico. "We’ll make an announcement on the 26th."
Seigle’s exit paves the way for the inclusion of one of the three reserves in Pennisi, Jackson and Fernandez. "I’m not promising that this team will win the gold medal. But I can guarantee everybody that these players will go out fighting up to the last second no matter what," said Uichico who will be seeking to end four decades of title drought for the Philippines in the Games.
Since the PBA was tasked by the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) with forming the national team in the last three editions of the Asian Games, it has won one silver and one bronze medal.
A team coached by superstar Robert Jaworski lost to the powerhouse Chinese in the finals of the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, while the squad handled by Norman Black failed to win a medal after finishing fourth in the 1994 Games in Hiroshima. The Centennial Team coached by Tim Cone, after months of rigid training at home and abroad, won the bronze medal in Bangkok in 1998.
The last time the Philippines won the basketball gold in the Asian Games was in 1962 in Jakarta. The country also won the cage championships in the inaugural Games in 1951 in New Delhi: in 1956 in Manila; and in 1958 in Tokyo.
For the record, the Philippines last beat China in the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) Championships in Kuala Lumpur in January 1986 with a team coached by Ron Jacobs which included naturalized players Dennis Still, Chip England and Jeff Moore.
It turned out, it was the last major basketball crown by the country in the international arena. The quirks of draw in Busan has gone in favor of the Philippines as it found itself bracketed with lightly-regarded opponents.
The Philippines, which finished third behind China and Korea during the last edition of Asiad in 1998 in Bangkok, Thailand, was bracketed with United Arab Emirates (UAE) and possibly North Korea (following the withdrawal of India) in Group C.
China will lead Group A, Korea Group B and Kazakhstan Group D in the 13-nation basketball event. But the result of the draw meant that the Philippines might be in for a titanic semifinal showdown with the South Koreans, notorious for hometown decisions. But that would be better than meeting China in the cross-over semis.
Against the UAE, Uichico’s side should encounter just token resistance to booking themselves into the quarterfinals. But against North Korea, the Filipinos’ chances of winning remain a big question mark. The top two teams of each of the four groupings would meet again for the four semifinals slots and a chance to make the medal round.
Nonetheless, the Philippine team saw itself closer to the dream that escaped three other previous teams in the last 12 years. The nationals benefitted from the sudden withdrawal of Saudi Arabia from the basketball competition that resulted in a roster shake-up that put the Filipino cagers in a relatively light grouping.
But everything stops there, including the light matches that would have the Filipino cagers virtually a stroll in the park. And the Philippine team would have to work doubly hard if it wants to have a shot, at the least, at the bronze medal.
Should the Philippines top the group and the seeding in the other brackets hold up, the Filipinos could be grouped with defending champion China in the quarterfinals, meaning they could steer clear from the perennial Asian titlist in the crossover semifinals.
The Chinese are joined in Group A by Hong Kong and Lebanon, which is regarded as the tournament dark horse after stretching China to the limit in last year’s Asian championships. In Group B, the host will be up against Japan, Kuwait and Mongolia. Group D is unpredictable with Chinese-Taipei, Qatar and Kazakhstan, which the Philippines beat for the bronze in Bangkok, Thailand, four years ago, going up against each other.
Tournament format will have the eight quarterfinalists divided into two brackets — the first will have the Group A topnotcher, the second placer in Group B, the top team in Group C and the runner-up in Group D, while the other bracket will group the second placer in Group A, the topnotcher in Group B, the runner-up in Group C and the No. 1 team from Group D.
Assuming the heavyweights run according to script, the Philippines, if it tops Group C, will most likely find itself in the same group with China, Japan and either Chinese-Taipei or Kazakhstan and needing only to place second to the Chinese to get into the crossover semifinals.
Korea and Lebanon are tipped to advance to the Final Four from the other group. If that happens, such a scenario would have the Philippine team facing either Korea or Lebanon for the right to meet China in the one-game finals.
Each team will play three games in each half, with the Philippine team’s matchup against Japan being considered as the major turning point of the country’s bid to make the medal round.
The Filipino cagers must take the Japanese out of the picture before they put their minds on either China or Korea and the elusive gold medal.
Aside from the Chinese and the South Koreans, the teams from the Middle East have improved tremendously over the past decade. Among them is Lebanon, which is now regularly finishing in the top eight in the ABC.
While Lebanon is still a long way from beating China, many believe that it is now at par with, if not already better than South Korea and Japan. The Lebanese are tall and well-built, and they do not have the mechanical movements of the Koreans and Japanese.
