Daunting the task may be, but Smart-Gilas Pilipinas coach Rajko Toroman is optimistic about his team’s chances of earning the lone berth at stake for Asia in the 2012 London Olympics.
“It’s not going to be easy, but we have to believe that we can do that (qualify for the Olympics)," said Toroman, whose young wards are preparing for the 2011 FIBA-Asia men's championship that serves as qualifier for the London Games.
"In the beginning it may be painful, we will lose some games, we will be sacrificing, we will be going through some difficult situations. But in the end, our goal is 2011 (FIBA-Asia meet) and we will do everything to put things together," he added.
Along with Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) executive director Noli Eala, Toroman scouted the opposition during the last FIBA-Asia championship in Tianjin, China and noted that besides the host team, the Middle East countries, specifically Jordan, Lebanon and Iran, a squad he used to coach in the past, have slowly risen as emerging powers in Asian basketball.
The Iranians, now handled by another Serbian in Veselin Matic, routed Yi Jianlian and the Chinese national team, 70-52, in the championship game to retain their title.
“You saw that the competition was very strong in China. So it’s difficult now to judge about our chances," said Toroman, the architect of Iran’s rise to power in Asian basketball.
But Eala saw something positive in Iran’s big win over a country long been considered as the best in Asia.
“I think the biggest thing that gave me hope was when Iran beat China in their homecourt. If you look at Iran, it’s no bigger than us, except maybe for (center) Hamed Ehahadi who’s really the focal point. But everyone else, I guess, is comparable to us.
“But it’s not so much the height and the size of Iran that impresses me, but it’s their look of confidence and the look that they are having fun as a team….when you look at them, it’s like they’ve been living together the past 20 years. They just seem like they know one another very well," said Eala.
Also part of Eala’s optimism is the long-term program the basketball association has implemented through the formation of the Gilas team under Toroman.
“One thing that gives me a lot of hope is the fact that we have a program. We have an honest-to-goodness program to back up our desire to win in 2011," he said.
“The program consists of an international coach who knows what it takes to win in the international arena and has got the experience and credentials to show for it," Eala said, referring to Toroman.
Outside of the program and a coach knowledgeable in the international type of play, Eala also cited the full backing of corporate sponsor Smart, exposure to a lot of games and tournaments abroad, and the commitment of the players to the team as the other key components that hopefully would help Gilas Pilipinas achieve its goal in 2011.
“With all of these ingredients together, we are hopeful, we are optimistic that we have a program that is in place," Eala said.
Then again, the SBP official reiterated that it wouldn’t be easy for the Gilas squad.
“It’s gonna be very tough. Let’s be realistic and let’s manage everybody’s expectations. It’s not a shoo-in. It’s not a matter of showing up in 2011 and winning that slot," said Eala.
The 54-year-old Toroman noted how Iran also went through the same phase when he first handled the team in 2007.
But playing together all-year-round and acquiring experiences in the international level toughened the Iranians up and made them what they are right now – a two-time FIBA-Asia champion.
“We played many international games. Do you think that it was nice to lose 25 out of those 35 games? It was very tough for me, for the players. But we just believed we were sacrificing together. We just believed that these games will give us something new and something better in the future," he said. - GMANews.TV
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I like the optimism from Coach Toroman. If we are going to put forth effort in joining something, we should be in it to win it.
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