TOROMAN UNIMPRESSED?

By Julius Manicad

The Filipino-Australian pair of Sep Salinas and Matt Schemechtig quietly left Smart Gilas Pilipinas National Team for Perth, Australia shortly after facing the Singapore Slingers in an exhibition game recently.

But, chances are, they will stay there for good.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) project director Rajko Toroman said they are having hard time evaluating the performance of Salinas and Schemechtig since they also play the same position like other local amateur standouts.

The 6-foot-4 sweet-shooting Salinas was bunched in the wing position with Rey Guevara, Dylan Ababou, JR Cawaling and Aldrech Ramos while 6-foot Schemechtig is too small at the No. 2 guard position, making it impossible for him to compete with Mark Barocca, RJ Jazul, JV Casio, Chris Tiu and, probably, Chris Lutz for playing minutes.

A Marshall University standout, Lutz is set to join the team after playing out his final varsity year in the Division I of the US NCAA next summer.

Toroman, however, refused to admit that Salinas and Schemechtig will not be hired, but said they do not offer anything spectacular compared to other Gilas standouts or other prospects like Lutz, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Marco Fajardo and Paul Lee.

SBP will make a decision in the next few days.

"Maybe in the next seven to 10 days," said Toroman, the Serbian mentor who steered Iran to a rare Olympic appearance in the 2008 Beijing Games. "They play the same position with a lot of players on the team, that’s why we’re having a difficult time deciding."

Smart Gilas faced Powerade Team Pilipinas last night in a charity game at the Araneta Coliseum. Salinas and Schemechtig, however, were not around to impress Toroman and other SBP executives.

SBP executive director Noli Eala refused to comment, saying the final decision still depends on Toroman.

In Gilas’ previous game against the Slingers — the only official game where the Fil-Australian duo saw action — Salinas and Schemechtig were way below expectation despite what Eala claimed to be a "decent performance" from the tandem.

Salinas logged only two points while Schemechtig went scoreless in few forgettable minutes.

"In (the) last game against Singapore, they didn’t play good and one of them has an injury problem and he couldn’t perform well," Toroman said.

"If these two players are better than our players, we will invite them back. If they play on the same level like Rey Guevarra, or Jazul, that will be a reason to invite them back."

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We need the best of the best out there. Being fil-australian does not automatically make them better than our local guys.

Maybe someday, they can still rejoin the team if they prove themselves worthy. I wouldn't be counting them out.

THE Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) added two Filipino-Australians to its developmental pool as it continues to work on its goal to form the strongest team possible for the 2011 International Basketball Federation (Fiba)-Asia tournament. SBP executive director Noli Eala said on Thursday Sep Salinas and Matt Scheptig will arrive on Sunday to try out for the Smart Gilas Pilipinas national team.

“This is SBP’s continuing effort to form the most competitive team for future international tournaments,” Eala said in a statement.

Salinas and Shceptig will join Japeth Aguilar and American CJ Giles and the country’s top amateur standouts in an exhibition game against the Singapore Slingers on September 23 in Singapore. There were no other details that were immediately made available, except that they are based in Melbourne.

Aguilar had his first practice with Smart Gilas on Thursday at the PhilSports Arena, almost 20 days since announcing his decision to play for the national team instead of honoring his commitment with Burger King, the team that drafted him No. 1 in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) in August.

In his Twitter account, Smart Gilas aspirant Chris Tiu said: “Had a fun and productive training session today with Smart Gilas team! So fun to have Japeth and CJ Giles together as your big men!”

Eala refused to comment on whether the 22-year-old Aguilar has finally decided to play for the Smart Gilas team and sign a contract with them.

But according to Burger King head coach Yeng Guiao, team manager Lito Alvarez just allowed Aguilar to do scrimmages with the SBP’s national team while they are still trying to find a solution to the issue.

Aguilar, who played for Guiao in the Fiba-Asia tournament in Tianjin, China, turned down Burger King’s three-year, P8.7-million offer.

The PBA is still discussing possible sanctions on Aguilar.

Written by Joel Orellana / Reporter

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I wonder what positions Sep Salinas and Matt Scheptig play. It's great to know that Noli Eala and the rest of the SBP are putting forth effort in trying to form the best possible line-up for Smart Gilas in the upcoming 2011 International Basketball Federation (Fiba)-Asia tournament. I'm really excited about how things would turn out for the team. The future certainly looks promising for Team Pilipinas.