THE national basketball squad’s mettle will be put to an acid test early when it returns to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) next week. The nationals, coached by Serbia’s Rajko Toroman, will face the top three teams in their first four games in the Commissioner’s Cup that will start on Friday in Laoag City.
Smart Gilas Pilipinas, composed mainly of the country’s top amateurs and will be beefed up by American Marcus Douthit, who is a candidate for naturalization, has newly-crowned Philippine Cup champion Talk ’N Text as its first assignment on February 25.
After the Tropang Texters, Smart Gilas will face Alaska on March 4 and after taking on Air21 on March 9, the nationals will collide with the league’s winningest franchise, San Miguel Beer, on March 12.
“It’s really a tough schedule for us,” said Toroman on their early collision with the league’s elite teams. “But we are preparing hard for our PBA stint and I think it will benefit us in the long run.”
Smart Gilas has taken the spot of on-leave Barako Bull and is eligible to win the title in the short Commissioner’s Cup featuring imports with a height limit of 6 feet and 4 inches.
Last year the nationals played exhibition games against PBA teams in the Philippine Cup and posted a record of four wins and seven losses.
The stint is part of the team’s preparations for the Fiba-Asia Men’s Championship in Wuhan, China, in September. The tournament is the qualifier for the 2012 London Olympics.
The national team has so far booked modest performances in its two tune-up games, beating the souped-up Meralco Bolts, 91-87, before forcing a 104-104 overtime result against Barangay Ginebra.
“We are holding our own but we still have a lot of things to improve on,” said Toroman. “These will toughen us when we play the real PBA games.”
The Nationals face Rain or Shine on March 18, B-MEG Derby Ace on March 23, Powerade on March 26, the Kings on March 30 and Meralco on April 2.
With a short format, Toroman said every game is very important and their goal is to be in the top six after the elimination phase.
The last four teams after the single round phase will drop out of the tournament while the top two squads secure the outright semifinal slots. Teams ranked third to sixth will figure in the best-of-three quarterfinal series.
“We will be facing the tough teams early but it’s good for us because it will test us early,” said Smart Gilas team manager Frankie Lim.
Joel Orellana, Business Mirror