GUANGZHOU, China – With the 2012 London Olympics qualifier just nine months away, Philippines-Smart Gilas head coach Rajko Toroman isn’t pressing the panic button. Not just yet.
Though admitting that he was disappointed that the PHL 5 did not make it to the semifinal round of the 16th Asian Games, the Serbian tactician said the team just needs more finetuning to be able to compete with the heavyweights in the continent.
“It’s a pity that we didn’t make it well here, but with some adjustments we will try to make, we will be very competitive," said Toroman.
“Imagine, Qatar lost by five points to China and we beat Qatar. That means we reached that tactical level that we can beat everybody. It’s really a pity our quality team was just playing for fifth place," he added.
The Philippines scored a 90-68 rout of Qatar in the preliminary round but eventually suffered a 71-81 loss during their battle for fifth and sixth places.
Toroman said the team will be formidable once naturalized player Marcus Douthit, who is expected to lead the country’s campaign in international tournaments next year, gets his Philippine passport.
Douthit’s papers were not processed in time for the Asian Games. “Our adjustments will start with Marcus," said Toroman.
This is the first Asiad that the Philippines failed to reach the semifinal round since 1978.
Though Gilas’ program is really meant for the 2011 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Championship, the qualifying event for the London Games, Toroman knew his team could have performed better in the 16th Asiad.
“We just didn’t have the luck. In our game against South Korea, our wing players (Marcio Lassiter, Chris Tiu and Mac Baracael) were 2-of-20. Imagine, if we could have made those shots," he said.
When asked if he will be adding more PBA players for the FIBA Asia qualifier, Toroman said, “We can’t give some answers now."
In this campaign, the PBA lent Asi Taulava, Kelly Williams and Solomon Mercado to beef up the young Gilas squad. – KY/JVP, GMANews.TV
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