FILE – Gilas coach Tab Baldwin talks to his players during a timeout. Photo from Fiba
MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas’ recent success in the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers left no guarantee—not even the head coaching position currently held by Tab Baldwin.
Baldwin steered the Philippines to a sweep in the qualifiers in Clark highlighted by a pair of stunning victories of longtime rival South Korea.
The impressive turnout led to more clamor for the Kiwi-American tactician to take on the role as Gilas’ full-time mentor.
But that’s not going to be the case—at least not yet—with Baldwin, who also serves as Gilas’ program director, looking to evaluate his and the team’s performance further after the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Serbia.
“This is a program, and again, it is fluid. There will be ongoing decisions made on what we believe SBP, myself, coach Ryan (Gregorio), what we believe is best for the program,” said Baldwin on the sports show The Chasedown. “So nothing is set in stone. Nobody has a right to any of these positions.”
“Everybody needs to know that at any point in time, if somebody better comes along, they’re gonna have the spot that you’re sitting in today. And I think that helps us to perform better everyday,” said Baldwin, Gilas’ third coach in as many qualifying windows of the Fiba Asia Cup after Mark Dickel and Jong Uichico.
Gilas faces stiff competition in the OQT against powerhouse Serbia on Thursday and the Dominican Republic on Friday.