Pinoy dribblers deal with old Korean rival Hur Jae again

MANILA, Philippines – For long-time followers of the Philippine basketball team in international competitions, the name Hur Jae certainly rings a bell. The Korean deadshot became the scourge of Filipino cagers in the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima, frustrating Allan Caidic, Samboy Lim and Hector Calma and the rest of the team with his hot hands. That Korean squad eventually knocked the Filipinos out of the gold medal match. His scoring exploits were not limited in the Asian region, though, as the sweet-shooting guard sizzled with 60 points in Korea’s 117-115 win over Egypt in a 1990 game. A two-time Olympian, Jae will be standing in the Filipinos’ way again, this time as coach of the South Korean national team in the coming William Jones Cup and FIBA Asia Championship. Jae’s team recently won the East Asia Championship. His wards are sure to play the PBA-backed Team Pilipinas in the FIBA Asia tilt this August, having been bracketed with the Philippines, Japan and Sri Lanka in Group A of the preliminary round. Jae is probably the most notable Korean player who has caught the fancy of basketball-loving Filipinos after Shin Dong Pa, who's famous for his battles with RP legends Robert Jaworski, Ramon Fernandez and Bog Adornado in the 60s. Alaska coach Tim Cone, who once handled the RP Centennial team in the 1998 Asian Games, didn’t have the opportunity of meeting the deadly Korean, but had the chance to watch him while he was playing overseas. But will Jae create as big an impact as coach in the FIBA Asia meet? Cone doesn’t think so. “History would tell that not all great players would end up as good coaches. Jerry West and Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers are such examples," said Cone. “He was definitely a great player, a high-scoring player," Cone added. "Maybe, Jae could somewhat help improve his players’ shooting skills." As they deal anew with Jae – the coach – in the upcoming international meets, the Filipinos are hoping it would be payback for the RP team this time. - GMANews.TV