Rebuilding Smart-Gilas

7 members of the Smart-Gilas will be joining the PBA Draft led by JV Casio. Casio along with fellow guard Marc Barroca, Fil-Foreigners Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz, Dylan Ababou, Jason Ballesteros, and Marc Baracael will soon be donning PBA jerseys instead of the national colors. The loss of this 7 players has a major impact on how we form a national team.


Who's left? We have Marcus Douhit, the naturalized player who is manning center. Chris Tiu, who decided to stick it out with Gilas.  Greg Slaughter and Aldrech Ramos who both are on leave from the Gilas due to the current UAAP season. Japeth Aguilar is still a question mark since he is actually signed with the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters. 


It will be recruitment time again for the Gilas. After years of developing chemistry and cohesion, it seems that the Philippines might reverting to the old practice of just getting PBA players to form a national team. A practice that has not won a major title in the Asian level. the current crop of Gilas has not won major title as well so I guess our basketball leaders are trying to formulate a new plan. 


If we look at the best teams in the world, they do not actually have a full-time national team. Countries allow their national team players to play in the NBA or the European leagues to develop their skills and be competitive all year round. I think for us to succeed, we should let our players play in the tougher leagues. We just cannot put them in the PBA in get that false sense of stardom. They might even think they are superstars yet when they play against the best of Asia, they usually come up short. The PBA is too small and it limits the development of some players. With a smaller pool of players, we will have limited choices for the national team. 


The SBP should start encouraging Filipinos to play in US NCAA.  They can develop a program that will send the best high school or college players to tryout in the US.  These players will provide a steady stream of talent for the national team. The UAAP and the other Philippine college leagues will still be breeding grounds but the best should be trained in tougher competitions earlier in their careers. 


The best of the Philippine islands cannot compete with the best of Asia anymore.  It is time for us to send our best abroad and become better players and world-beaters. ;)