INQUIRER Sports

LOCAL SKEPTICS WHO CLAIM THAT FILIPINOS SHOULD ABANDON hopes of excelling on the world basketball stage drew a rebuttal from Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

The Filipino-American Spoelstra, the youngest NBA mentor at 38 who took over as Heat head coach last year, said the Philippines should just shrug off criticisms and continue working on its national basketball program.

“There are a lot of small teams out there,” Spoelstra said. “It doesn’t always end up that the tallest will be the best. It’s about coming together at the right time.

“You have to develop the young players in the country and learn how to play together as a team and work on a common goal.”
The advice came just a week before the Powerade-Pilipinas competes in the Fiba Asia men’s basketball championship in Tianjin, China, starting Aug. 6.

“Dream big, anything can happen,” added Spoelstra, the first Asian-American to coach in the NBA, who was born to a Filipino mother, Elisa Celino, of San Pablo City in Laguna.

“The game of basketball is becoming more global. Players are coming from every country and every region of the world. There’s a lot of potential here and it’s one of only three countries in the world where basketball is the number one sport. With a country like this where basketball is number one, why not? Why not shock the world.”

Spoelstra arrived in Manila with Miami assistant coach David Fizdale and former WNBA All-Star player Sue Wicks last Monday to conduct basketball clinics organized by the US Department of States’ Sports Envoy Program.

“This is fantastic,” said Spoelstra after his session with over a hundred UAAP seniors, juniors and women’s players yesterday at the La Salle Green Hills gym.

“There’s nothing better than being in a hot gym playing basketball and working with all the kids here.”

Spoelstra also held a clinic in Zamboanga City and another session with pro and amateur coaches early this week.

“When you have boys and girls who are enthusiastic and passionate about learning the game of basketball, for us coaches, it doesn’t get better than this. You can see the talent come out. There was a lot of speed and quickness. Everybody did a great job of listening and trying to apply some of the things that all the coaches were teaching.”

Spoelstra also shared his experiences on working with world-class athletes as a long-time assistant to legendary NBA mentor Pat Riley before taking over as Miami coach in April 2008.

“We tried to accomplish more as a group than individually,” he said. “You can do more when everybody’s pulling in the same direction. And it started with Dwyane Wade, who’s our best player, but also one of the best teammates you can possibly have. He cares about his teammates, he likes them to be involved, he’s a great leader.”

Spoelstra was impressed at what he saw even after only a few hours of dribbling, passing and shooting drills, but he reserved his best compliment for one particular group.

"The ladies are sensational," said Spoelstra, describing the women players who joined the clinic.

Fizdale, meanwhile, kept on reminding the boys to concentrate and avoid turn-overs. "Don't mess around and focus," Spoelstra told the boys while teaching them how to execute fastbreak plays.

Spoelstra took note of his star player as a prime example on how to stay focused."He doesn't drink alcohol. He's really a disciplined player," he said.

"He was a good mentor and what he taught me is hard work," Spoelstra said, referring to Riley who is now Miami's team manager.

Spoelstra said he was three years old the last time he visited the Philippines. While he admits he cannot speak the Filipino language, he said he is interested to learn.

With Izah Morales