Smart Gilas five craves for tuneups

MANILA—Smart Gilas coach Rajko Toroman is happy with the way his three PBA reinforcements have been working with the Asian Games-bound national five in practice.
Now he wants to see them play for real.
“We need tuneup games,” said Toroman. “But there’s no schedule yet.”
Toroman said Smart Gilas should play serious games to measure the progress of the team with point guard Sol Mercado, power forward Kelly Williams and center Asi Taulava around.
The RP five has less than a month to prepare for the Asian Games in Guangzhou, where it will face Saudi Arabia in a do-or-die match in the opening round.
The Nationals need to beat the Saudis to advance to a group that includes Asian champion Iran, Japan, Qatar and Chinese Taipei. 
After a single-round battle, the top four teams will move on to the next round and face the top four qualifiers of the other group in the crossover quarterfinals.
“So far, I’m satisfied with them (PBA players). We’re getting better in practice everyday,”’ said Toroman.
“But then again, tuneup games will show us what we need to improve on.”
Mercado (Rain Or Shine), Williams (Talk ‘N Text) and Taulava (Meralco) were loaned by the PBA and their mother ballclubs to Smart Gilas for the Asiad on Nov. 12 to 27.
Toroman said he would make the final cut of the required 12-man roster on Nov. 4, the date set by the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee and Fiba Asia.
The three PBA stars join a young team made up of Chris Tiu, Mark Barroca, JV Casio, Mac Baracael, Jason Ballesteros, Dylan Ababou, Greg Slaughter, Aldrech Ramos, Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz. The latter two are overseas-based players with Filipino roots.
June Navarro