Gilas stint likely last for Tenorio amid Fiba calendar changes

LA Tenorio (left) and Gabe Norwood during Gilas Pilipinas practice. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

With the Fiba adopting a new competition schedule in 2017, LA Tenorio is slowly coming to grips with the fact that the Olympic Qualifying Tournament here could very well be this batch’s final national team duty.

“Sa nakikita namin ngayon, ito na talaga yung huli namin for the national team,” he said. “I’m not closing my door, but most likely, yun na ang huli namin.”

Tenorio understands where Jayson Castro is coming from when the skipper hinted at a Gilas farewell.

“Magka-roommate kami nun the whole time and napaguusapan din namin. Probably, yun na ang huli,” he said.

Ranidel de Ocampo has earlier signified his intention to hang up his sneakers for international competitions, while Marc Pingris is also pondering if the Manila OQT would truly be his last in a Gilas jersey.

“Based on the schedule din ng Fiba, malaking factor yun,” said Tenorio. “Ang priority namin naman is pagdating ng season, PBA din talaga. I don’t know if the PBA will adjust sa schedule kasi mahirap yung schedule ng Fiba. Marami ring tatamaan, not only PBA but other leagues like NBA, Euroleague, and CBA. Even si Dray (Blatche) is playing sa China, di natin alam magiging plano nya.”

The new Fiba calendar will pave way for home-and-away games between competing nations scattered across four competition windows, the same model adopted by Fifa, the international governing body for football.

Tenorio acknowledges the uphill battle for the Philippines to maintain its world standing, but with the SBP set to revive the cadets program, he is positive with the potential shown by the upstarts who joined them in training for the OQT buildup.

“May mga batang nagte-training with us through the year,” he said, specifically pointing out guys like Ray Parks, Kiefer Ravena, and Kevin Ferrer who were all hands on deck in Gilas Pilipinas’ training sessions.

Unlike before, Tenorio is hoping that the program sticks to its plan of fielding a team that will train together for the sole purpose of competing in international events.

“If we’re going to put up a team, just put up a team just like the others in international competition na magkakasama na sila the whole time,” he said. “Ang pangit naman na may bigla kang iiinsert. Maiiba talaga ang laro nila kahit may ipasok kang isa o dalawa na hindi kasama sa plano. Mahirap yun for the coaching staff.”