Doha pocket tourney next for Smart Gilas five

TAIPEI—Smart Gilas Pilipinas will need more international games to reach peak form for the Fiba Asia championship next month.

With this in mind, Philippine five head coach Rajko Toroman said the Nationals, fresh from a third place finish in the Jones Cup, will compete in a pocket tournament in Doha on Aug. 24 to 30 where Lebanon, Syria and the host country Qatar will showcase new recruits in their lineups.

Toroman said the tournament will also serve as testing ground for PBA MVP Jimmy Alapag and power forwards Ranidel De Ocampo and Kelly Williams of Talk ‘N Text, who will be free to join the Nationals with the Governors’ Cup finals over by then.

The title series between the Texters and the Petron Blaze Boosters will end this Sunday at the latest with the Nationals expected to leave for Doha next Tuesday.

“We need to play more international games with these three guys,” said Toroman, referring to Alapag, De Ocampo and Williams.

The three-year program of Smart Gilas will culminate in the Fiba Asia Championship in Wuhan, China on Sept. 15 to 25, with the champion qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics.

Toroman said the Filipinos will play three straight games against the Lebanese, Syrians and the Qataris before taking a break. The semifinals and the championship are scheduled right after the one-day rest.

Smart Gilas is bracketed in Group D with China, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in the Asian championships.

Toroman is keen on fortifying the power forward spot after South Korea, Jordan and Iran exposed the team’s
weakness in the area during the Jones Cup.

He added that the inclusion of the 6-foot-7 Williams and the 6-foot-6 De Ocampo will address the problem.
While the toughest competitors in Wuhan have already been scouted, Toroman said they’re still clueless on the present lineup of China, the reigning Asian Games champion.

“I heard they’re going to compete in a tournament in Serbia. I will ask my friends to send me videos of their games,” said Toroman.

The Serbian-born coach is also hoping to play tuneup against commercial clubs in China a week before the Asian championships.