INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines?Yeng Guiao has joined the handful of coaches from the Philippine Basketball Association who have been tasked to handle the national cage team. But is he ready for the tough job ahead?

Unless taller, heftier and faster players who have been playing together long enough are included in the RP squad, I expect a very, very difficult assignment for the 46-year-old Guiao in his bid to recapture the good old days when the country always made a strong and lasting impact in international caging.

But I support Guiao?s idea to recruit naturalized players for inclusion in the national lineup, similar to the program implemented in the past by American Ron Jacobs, who is, beyond doubt, one of the RP team?s most successful basketball coaches.

?If we want to be included, at least in the top three in Asia, the Philippines must employ what the other countries are doing, and that is to tap naturalized players,? the fiery Red Bull coach told the Philippine Daily Inquirer?s Musong Castillo the other day.

I agree. Physically we?re there. Technically, we?re that close. Our only drawback is not only our lack of height, but also our lack of time to prepare for major tournaments like the 2010 FIBA Asia qualifying and the World Championships.

Most of our national cagers play together for only a few months. On the other hand, players from other countries have been playing for three years or more, and that?s one hell of a thing to reckon with.

* * *

This is in response to the letter of JP Fenix, managing director of Raya Sports, in his letter (Opinion page) on Sept. 26:

As far as I am concerned, the absence of former world champions Ronnie Alcano, Alex Pagulayan and Efren ?Bata? Reyes as well as world No. 1-ranked Dennis Orcollo from the inaugural World Ten Ball Championship is a big issue.

Their absence, as well as those of several other world-class cue artists like the flamboyant Francisco ?Django? Bustamante and last year?s World Pool Championship runner-up Roberto Gomez, will raise a lot of questions, even cause embarrassment to the country.

How can people watch the event when it is played by foreign players while our own top players are not participating? And let me just add. These top Filipino players are not ?fading? players but true sporting greats. And they are very active in international pool.

For the record, I was following my conscience by shying away from recent events held under the auspices of the Billiards and Snookers Congress of the Philippines and promoted by Raya Sports.

And just like the members of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (which has billiards icon Bata Reyes among its members), I was also very unhappy with the way billiards?one of the sports closest to my heart?was being handled by the present officials of the BSCP and promoted by Raya Sports.
I felt the players were being exploited and they wanted no part of it. Besides, the TV coverage offers one of the better alternatives in pursuing my work.

And for the record, too, I was not straining ?to shoot down the upcoming World Ten Ball Championship? as it is about to take place. I was merely reporting the truth.

I do not deny that Aristeo ?Putch? Puyat is a true and honest friend. I came to know him when he was still in his teens during the late ?60s, when his uncle, the late Eugenio ?Tito Gene? Puyat, was my idol and mentor. Over time, Putch has done a wonderful job of helping players like Reyes and Bustamante overcome poverty and lift the sport of billiards to its present level of respect and recognition.