IF ITS opening game is an indication of things to come, Smart Gilas Pilipinas just might have a more than an even chance of going deep into the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup. The nationals’ preparation for the second conference, where it is a guest team, has been earning dividends this early, as coach Rajko Toroman’s wards pulled off a giant-sized upset against reigning Philippine Cup champion Talk ‘N Text in their opening game.
‘’Our team is showing the kind of character that we need to compete at a high level. We just hope that we can carry it to all of our remaining games,’’ said Toroman.
‘’We’re applying the things we practice into our game and we need to continue doing that for us to have a chance.’’
There’s actually little pressure for the nationals as they are using the tournament to sharpen their skills for the FIBA Asia Olympic qualifiers set in August, but that doesn’t mean that they are not aiming at something.
Unlike the first time when it also played as a guest team in the PBA in 2009 when all of its games were just exhibition ones and were not counted, Smart Gilas actually has the chance to win the crown and this alone serves as motivation for Toroman and the nationals.
‘’The guys are really excited and they want to win. We’ll just play our game and do our best.’’
According to team skipper Chris Tiu, Gilas is now a better all-around team than the one which played in the PBA in 2009.
Jeric Lopez, Manila Standard Today
