Philippines - It’s still a long way to go for Team Pilipinas

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The past and present coaches of the Philippine men's basketball team have given their insights on Team Pilipinas and expressed satisfaction with the progress of the quintet gearing up for the FIBA Asia Men's Basketball Championship.

Chot Reyes, the previous national team coach, is convinced that the Powerade-Team Pilipinas cagers are on the right track and possess the ingredients to come up with a solid showing in major international tournaments.

But he believes the RP team still lacks one crucial element – international exposure.

“Basketball-wise, this team has no deficiency. They just have to play more games, more international games to understand it better," said Reyes.

“Because this team is already playing well, they play smart, have excellent teamwork and play great defense. This Philippine team learned a lot from this and this is what the (PBA All-Star) series is for, to learn."

He said the real test has yet to come for the RP team. He thinks the real battle is China and Reyes suggested that Guiao’s national team should play more international games to be real competitive in the qualifier for the World Basketball Championship in Turkey.

Guiao has also acknowledged the reality that the team still has a long way to go to be more competitive and ready against the region’s heavyweights, especially after the Nationals lost to the import-laden PBA All-Stars, 97-89, Sunday night at the culmination of the league’s three-city All-Star Weekend.

“A loss is always something that can be useful for us right now," said Guiao in a post-game interview. “We really don’t want to fall into a false sense of security after winning those first four games. We will learn a lot of lesson from this loss than the four wins we had but overall, I’m still very positive, very happy with the progress of the team."

The first of the tune-up games against the visiting Aussies prepared the Nationals against tough, physical play in the international level. Against the North and South All-Stars teams, Guiao's team was given a dose of size, quickness and talent as the two selection squads pushed the Nationals to the limit.

Reyes, the PBA’s appointed coach when the country tried to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Games, said that Sunday’s game gave Guiao a sneak peek of what to expect in the regional qualifier in Tianjin, China this August.

“Coach Yeng should welcome this kind of game because this is how the schedule is in international competition. You have everyday games, play three games in five days, three hard games in a row and one break and another hard game," said Reyes, whose team finished only ninth in Tokushima, Japan in 2007.

“Very important for Team Pilipinas is that they have to understand that they need to play three or four great games in succession come competition time," he added.

And Guiao acknowledged that fact and has challenged his players to learn to handle these during the Fiba-Asia meet.

“Playing three games in five days seemed very difficult as they were but we need adversity like this because this kind of adversity will test the character of the players," said Guiao, who fielded in 14 players against the All-Star as Kelly Williams sat out due to an injury.

“Right now, we’re just learning the deeper character of the players that we have," he added.

And Guiao's quintet still has a lot of time to figure that out as the team. Team Pilipinas will next compete in the eighth Southeast Asian Basketball Association (Seaba) Men’s Championship in Medan, Indonesia on June 6-10, a tournament the all-pro squad is expected to breeze by.