FIBA Asia-bound RP cagers buckle down to work

MANILA, Philippines - Now the work begins for the RP men’s basketball team. The itinerary of coach Yeng Guiao and the all-pro national squad will be heavy beginning April all the way to August when they finally embark on their quest to make it back to the World Basketball Championship. Up first for the nationals are a series of exhibition matches against a visiting team from the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). The games are set at the Araneta Coliseum from April 3-5. Bannering the Aussies (Sydney Spirit) is former NBL MVP Bruce Bolden. Then, the best of the PBA get their shot against Asi Taulava and Co., with the staging of the annual All-Star festivities. Calling the shots for the North squad is Chot Reyes, the man tasked to handle the national team during the 2007 Fiba-Asia Men’s Championship in Tokushima, Japan. The North side plays the national squad on April 22 in Victorias City, Negros Occidental. Meanwhile, Tim Cone and the South All-Star then take their turn on the all-pro five on April 24 in Panabo City, Davao. Cone coached the 1998 RP men’s team to a bronze medal finish in the Bangkok Asian Games. Both the North and South teams will be beefed up by imports seeing action in the Fiesta Cup, handpicked no less by the Commissioner’s Office under Sonny Barrios. On April 26, starters of both North and South combine to take a crack against the Nationals at the Big Dome. Reyes is in charge at the sideline of the team that will be reinforced by the four imports left out by commissioner Barrios. “We’re looking forward to being truly competitive against them, not just go through the motions," said Guiao, whose wards hold practice at The Arena in San Juan every Monday from 6-9 p.m. “After all, I’m sure the star players, other than those in this team, also want to prove something – that they deserve to be in the national team." Come June 6, Guiao and his boys troop to Indonesia for the initial step of their ambitious bid to return to the World Championships. With Medan as host, the 8th South East Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) Men’s Championship will be held from June 6-10, the tournament serving as the qualifying meet for the 2009 FIBA-Asia Men’s Championship. “Attendance has improved, chemistry is good, and the guys have settled down to their respective roles," said the outspoken mentor as he makes a report on the progress of the team first formed November of last year. After the SEABA tilt, the annual Jones Cup comes next on July 18-26 in Taipei, where Guiao hopes to face some of the teams the nationals will be playing in the FIBA-Asia set August 6-16 in Tianjin, China. The FIBA-Asia meet is the qualifier for next year’s World Championship in Istanbul, Turkey. -GMANews.TV