What Went Wrong With Gilas Pilipinas?

Disappointing. Despite having an extremely favorable initial grouping as host; despite the proverbial 6th man in the hometown crowd; despite the host familiarity with the time zone, the weather, the local setting and all; we have very little to show to the millions of Pinoy basketball-crazy fans here and abroad. Gilas Pilipinas lost all 3 games in the initial round to the Dominican Republic, Angola and Italy, continued to slide in the consolation round with a loss to South Sudan, before finally salvaging an emphatic win over China 96-75 to finish with a forgettable 1 win – 4 loss slate. And with that, we bow out from the competition. That’s just the harsh reality. We lose, and we go home.  

We lost. Despite the presence of renowned NBA gunner Jordan Clarkson. Despite the solid performance of some players like Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu, Junemar Fajardo. 

I warned about this last year, I will say it again. We lost because of a number of reasons, but the most glaring of which is: WE LACK PREPARATION. Simple as that.

That lack of preparation manifested itself in so many ways. For one, Gilas relied mainly on Clarkson on the offense. When Clarkson got tied up, the offense sputtered. When Clarkson fouled out in the closing minutes of that tight game against the Dominican Republic, no one stepped up to take the cudgels. With our go-to-guy out, the rest of the field played like headless chickens. 

The offense was simply too Clarkson-centric. Or when he wasn’t around, more on iso and outmoded drive-and-draw plays. There was clearly no offensive cohesion, and this shows in the anemic scoring which relied mostly on native, individual talent. Team chemistry was clearly lacking. Again, as a result of the lack of preparation.

Equally important, there was the spotty defense that could only have been addressed with a longer training period and more time to jell. Again, as a result of the lack of preparation.

Finally, Gilas – supposedly composed of the country’s best – has not grown with contemporary international basketball. We continue to rely on old systems which unfortunately no longer work. Again, the lack of preparation is there.

But the lack of preparation not only points to the national team coach and staff. It goes higher to the management side. If the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas (SBP) had been able to work closely with the PBA to ensure a seamless schedule that would mesh the PBA sked with the country’s international obligations, all these would have been addressed early on. This lack of cooperation and collaboration among the sport’s top officials was certainly a factor leading to the lack of preparation for the coaching staff and players. 

The trend was there and we didn’t bother to address it. It all started when the country’s best cagers were unceremoniously defrocked by Indonesia in the SEA Games in 2022. That ended a proud 52-game winning streak dating all the way back to 1997. We were upended by a well-oiled Indon team assault. After that debacle, we continued to lose to such teams as South Korea and Japan. 

In particular, the losses to Indonesia and Japan were quite revealing, telling us that the Asian basketball community was slowly catching up on us, and that the Pinoy brand of basketball was getting outdated. 

What then needs to be done?

The national team will have to be re-evaluated and overhauled. Completely. Not just the players, but up to the coach and staff, and management.

For management, there is a need to once and for all work with the PBA to try to fit their skeds with our international commitments. Next, there is also the need to scrutinize our own coaching staff and their system as well. There should be no protectionism here, otherwise this exercise becomes ‘just for show’. 

For the coaching staff, there is a need to study and research on the innovations in playing international basketball. There is a need to scout successful teams and their practices and systems. There is a need to immediately scout the teams we are likely to face in the next campaign. There is a need to prepare the team early. This means a long-term program and the early selection of a national team pool. This will mean supporting travel requirements for players presently working in Japan and Korea. It is imperative that players in the pool be given ample time to bond together, so that even players in far-off Japan or Korea do not miss a beat in developing chemistry and proper teamwork.

As for Coach Chot Reyes, it is clear that the negative vibes have become too palpable. He must go. Undoubtedly, Coach Chot has brought honor and distinction to the Gilas Pilipinas team in previous forays, but our basketball-crazy fans have spoken. Having lost the trust and confidence of not just the fans, but cage luminaries and other sports authorities, I’m sorry to say he has to go. At this point, I’d like to thank Coach Chot for his noble service in the past. And I bid him well in his future endeavors.

And for the fans? It is clear that your voices have been heard. Constructive criticism is most welcome. But please, let’s not go below-the-belt with our retorts against our coach. Coach Chot has given so much of himself in the past; let’s not forget that, and let’s give him our full support and respect as he turns over the reins to whoever comes next. Let’s also provide the next coach our full support.  

It is time to move forward. Collectively, we have much to do. From the management, to the coaching staff, to the players, to the fans, we all have our responsibilities here. Let’s move on and continue supporting the people involved in the hosting of the FIBA 2023. Let’s continue to cheer for the surviving teams. Finally, let’s prepare for Gilas’ next campaign.

Cover photo courtesy of GMA Network. Other pics courtesy of Inquirer.net, Tiebreaker Times, PhilStar, BleacherReport, The Summit Express, GMA Network, The Manila Times and Smart Sports. For a closer look, just click on the pics.