Post by Lebron23 on Apr 28, 2007 23:39:53 GMT -5
Philippines - RP Team to '08 Olympics?
For those that were not able to make it, the Philippine national basketball team trained and played simulated games against semi-pro teams and college competition at the Home Depot Center in Carson before they departed to the Philippines for further Olympic preparation on April 13.
As I’ve written in my other articles about the team, Team Pilipinas is hoping to become the first RP National basketball team to qualify for an Olympics since 1972.
Since my articles about the team generated a few questions from fans, I’ll attempt to answer some of them.
Overview:
The 11-member team, comprised of the "best of the best in the Philippine Basketball Association," arrived in late March after the end of the PBA season. The coach of the RP National team is Vincent "Chot" Reyes of the PBA San Miguel Beermen.
For two weeks beginning in April, the team worked out with the Abunassar Impact Basketball Academy, known more for training NBA players and potential NBA prospects.
The team held grueling three-a-days, which consisted of two, two-hour workouts including weight training, balance exercises, and individual performances during the morning before finishing the day with an exhibition basketball game.
In their six exhibition games, the team ended with a record of 4-2. They suffered losses against the ABA Hollywood Fame led by Bryon Russell and California State University, Fullerton.
In their four wins, they beat the ABA Hollywood Fame-led by Bryon Russell (in their first game), CSU Dominguez Hills, another semi-pro team, and a recent NCAA tournament team in Long Beach State.
The first question I’ve been asked is how does the team look.
This is an extremely versatile team with a number of players able to play multiple positions. Every player, with the exception of Center Asi Taulava, can play outside the paint around the perimeter. They are a rhythm-and-flow team. What I mean by that is the team either starts out slow then picks up the pace or really fast and slows it down. From the six games I’ve observed, in either case, Coach Reyes does a great job making halftime adjustments and settling his team down. In each of the six games, the RP team usually outscored their opponents in the second half.
Strengths:
The best analogy I could come up with regarding the Philippine style of offense is to watch the NBA Phoenix Suns play. It is a very fast-paced offense. They rely heavily on jump shots from their players. The RP team is extremely quick, and pushes the ball up the court every chance they get. They have an exciting brand of basketball. The scores are usually high and make a lot of spectacular plays.
Weaknesses:
Size. Many people automatically assume because we are Filipino (and we are known to be short) that the rest of the team would be short as well. Well, they were right. However, for Filipinos, the players are tall. The team gives up way too many offensive rebounds. For instance, in their game against Long Beach, in one series Long Beach players grabbed four offensive boards. Aggressive, speedy, athletic teams with tall lanky players could jump give the RP team their toughest challenge.
Who are the RP team’s best players?
My Starting lineup:
Mark "The Spark" Caguioa – He truly lives up to his moniker. He’s a very explosive and aggressive basketball player. When the RP team needs a big basket, he’s Mr. Clutch.
Danny Seigle – Look at Mark. Put him inside the paint and he’ll make every shot he gets. One-on-one ball handling is an issue but the team expects him to rebound and shoot nothing else.
Ren-Ren Ritualo – He is the best "pure" shooter on the team. Leave him open and he’ll bury every shot he gets. If it weren’t for his three point shots against LBSU making four of five, RP would have lost the game. Con: He’s a streaky shooter.
Jimmy Alapag – he has the best ball handling on the team. He can see the floor really well and always gets his team involved. Con: He maybe too unselfish. He often drives inside the lane but kicks it backs out rather than taking the shot.
Asi Taulava – A big guy that weighs a reported 290 pounds. He knows how to back down his opponent and use his large frame to his advantage. My worry, they have him listed as 6’9". He’s more like 6’6" or maybe 6’7". Either way he’s way too small to guard China’s forwards and centers who tower nearly 7’ each i.e. Yao Ming.
Other Notables:
Jayjay Helterbrand – It may be just his conditioning but he always seemed out of breathe and didn’t have his legs under him in most of his shots. He mentioned to me prior to the two-weeks of training he wasn’t in shape. I would have liked to of seen him be more aggressive on the court.
Mick Pennisi – He may not look Filipino but he sure does blend in well with the group of guys. He has a good shot from the outside and drives in well when he chooses too. However, because he’s a big man that likes to set up on the perimeter, the RP team has a hard time gathering offensive rebounds or second chance points.
Who decides on which team qualifies for the Olympics?
Fédération Internationale de Basketbal, better known as FIBA, is the governing body that holds international competition in basketball every two years – the World Championships and FIBA Asia Championship for Men Olympic Qualifiers.
The RP team competes with 44 other Asian countries under the jurisdiction of FIBA Asia, to qualify for a spot in the Olympics.
Only the top two teams from the FIBA Asia Championship for Men qualify to represent Asia in Olympic competition.
This year, since China receives an automatic Olympic Berth for hosting the 2008 Olympics, only ONE other team in Asia can qualify for the Olympics.
What are the chances of the Philippines qualifying for the 2008 Olympics?
The team has a good chance. We all know China is in the Olympics automatically. The team that the Team Pilipinas has to worry about is South Korea. The Koreans have a very quick team. The team has placed second or third in the past five FIBA Asia Championships games only losing to China. If the RP team can do well against S. Korea then they have a legitimate shot to make the Olympics.
For those that were not able to make it, the Philippine national basketball team trained and played simulated games against semi-pro teams and college competition at the Home Depot Center in Carson before they departed to the Philippines for further Olympic preparation on April 13.
As I’ve written in my other articles about the team, Team Pilipinas is hoping to become the first RP National basketball team to qualify for an Olympics since 1972.
Since my articles about the team generated a few questions from fans, I’ll attempt to answer some of them.
Overview:
The 11-member team, comprised of the "best of the best in the Philippine Basketball Association," arrived in late March after the end of the PBA season. The coach of the RP National team is Vincent "Chot" Reyes of the PBA San Miguel Beermen.
For two weeks beginning in April, the team worked out with the Abunassar Impact Basketball Academy, known more for training NBA players and potential NBA prospects.
The team held grueling three-a-days, which consisted of two, two-hour workouts including weight training, balance exercises, and individual performances during the morning before finishing the day with an exhibition basketball game.
In their six exhibition games, the team ended with a record of 4-2. They suffered losses against the ABA Hollywood Fame led by Bryon Russell and California State University, Fullerton.
In their four wins, they beat the ABA Hollywood Fame-led by Bryon Russell (in their first game), CSU Dominguez Hills, another semi-pro team, and a recent NCAA tournament team in Long Beach State.
The first question I’ve been asked is how does the team look.
This is an extremely versatile team with a number of players able to play multiple positions. Every player, with the exception of Center Asi Taulava, can play outside the paint around the perimeter. They are a rhythm-and-flow team. What I mean by that is the team either starts out slow then picks up the pace or really fast and slows it down. From the six games I’ve observed, in either case, Coach Reyes does a great job making halftime adjustments and settling his team down. In each of the six games, the RP team usually outscored their opponents in the second half.
Strengths:
The best analogy I could come up with regarding the Philippine style of offense is to watch the NBA Phoenix Suns play. It is a very fast-paced offense. They rely heavily on jump shots from their players. The RP team is extremely quick, and pushes the ball up the court every chance they get. They have an exciting brand of basketball. The scores are usually high and make a lot of spectacular plays.
Weaknesses:
Size. Many people automatically assume because we are Filipino (and we are known to be short) that the rest of the team would be short as well. Well, they were right. However, for Filipinos, the players are tall. The team gives up way too many offensive rebounds. For instance, in their game against Long Beach, in one series Long Beach players grabbed four offensive boards. Aggressive, speedy, athletic teams with tall lanky players could jump give the RP team their toughest challenge.
Who are the RP team’s best players?
My Starting lineup:
Mark "The Spark" Caguioa – He truly lives up to his moniker. He’s a very explosive and aggressive basketball player. When the RP team needs a big basket, he’s Mr. Clutch.
Danny Seigle – Look at Mark. Put him inside the paint and he’ll make every shot he gets. One-on-one ball handling is an issue but the team expects him to rebound and shoot nothing else.
Ren-Ren Ritualo – He is the best "pure" shooter on the team. Leave him open and he’ll bury every shot he gets. If it weren’t for his three point shots against LBSU making four of five, RP would have lost the game. Con: He’s a streaky shooter.
Jimmy Alapag – he has the best ball handling on the team. He can see the floor really well and always gets his team involved. Con: He maybe too unselfish. He often drives inside the lane but kicks it backs out rather than taking the shot.
Asi Taulava – A big guy that weighs a reported 290 pounds. He knows how to back down his opponent and use his large frame to his advantage. My worry, they have him listed as 6’9". He’s more like 6’6" or maybe 6’7". Either way he’s way too small to guard China’s forwards and centers who tower nearly 7’ each i.e. Yao Ming.
Other Notables:
Jayjay Helterbrand – It may be just his conditioning but he always seemed out of breathe and didn’t have his legs under him in most of his shots. He mentioned to me prior to the two-weeks of training he wasn’t in shape. I would have liked to of seen him be more aggressive on the court.
Mick Pennisi – He may not look Filipino but he sure does blend in well with the group of guys. He has a good shot from the outside and drives in well when he chooses too. However, because he’s a big man that likes to set up on the perimeter, the RP team has a hard time gathering offensive rebounds or second chance points.
Who decides on which team qualifies for the Olympics?
Fédération Internationale de Basketbal, better known as FIBA, is the governing body that holds international competition in basketball every two years – the World Championships and FIBA Asia Championship for Men Olympic Qualifiers.
The RP team competes with 44 other Asian countries under the jurisdiction of FIBA Asia, to qualify for a spot in the Olympics.
Only the top two teams from the FIBA Asia Championship for Men qualify to represent Asia in Olympic competition.
This year, since China receives an automatic Olympic Berth for hosting the 2008 Olympics, only ONE other team in Asia can qualify for the Olympics.
What are the chances of the Philippines qualifying for the 2008 Olympics?
The team has a good chance. We all know China is in the Olympics automatically. The team that the Team Pilipinas has to worry about is South Korea. The Koreans have a very quick team. The team has placed second or third in the past five FIBA Asia Championships games only losing to China. If the RP team can do well against S. Korea then they have a legitimate shot to make the Olympics.