Black wants wider talent pool for RP SEA Games 5

MANILA—After stringing three straight UAAP championships for Ateneo, coach Norman Black hopes to bring his winning formula to the Southeast Asian Games.   “I know the Philippines has not lost in the SEA Games for a long, long time,” said Black. “I think it’s going to come down to getting the right players and the preparation going into the tournament.”   The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas recently tapped Black to call the shots for the RP team in the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia.   For the first time, though, collegiate standouts will form the core of the national squad.   “I’m well aware of all the talents in the the college ranks right now,” said Black during the PSA Forum Tuesday at Shakey’s UN Avenue.   “What I would like to do, though, is also to take a look at the provinces. A lot of good players in the provinces—like Bacolod, Iloilo, Cebu—we don’t hear too much about them because they’re not here in Manila.”   Black cited Cebu’s  6-foot-9 standout Junmar Fajardo as a possible recruit, but he also hopes to have a coaching assistant in former Far Eastern U Tamaraws coach Glenn Capacio.   “I think there are a lot of good players who are transitioning from the college ranks to the pros who can probably help us,” Black said at the public sports program presented by Pagcor, Shakey’s and Outlast Battery.   “Maybe a guy like Fajardo can help us despite the fact that he’ll probably be getting ready for the pros at that time.”   Black, the American mentor who also won 10 PBA titles, already called the shots for the RP team in the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima, where the country finished fourth.   “The team should be chosen early, maybe during the summer,” he said.