source: Waylon Galvez | mb.com.ph
Smart-Gilas Pilipinas mentor Rajko Toroman is faced with the difficult decision of who will be cut from the team as the Philippines begins its FIBA-Asia Championship campaign starting Thursday in Wuhan, China with the London Olympics berth at stake.
With 14 players currently in the roster, Toroman will reduce it to 12 which is the allowable number for the tournament.
"We haven’t decided who will be in the final lineup,” Toroman said prior to the team’s departure. "We’ll decide who will be cut Wednesday before the manager’s meeting.”
The PBA players, point guard Jimmy Alapag – Season 36 Most Valuable Player – and his Talk ’N Text teammates, forwards Kelly Williams and Ranidel de Ocampo, as well as Meralco center Asi Taulava are all expected to make the team of Toroman.
The same goes for 6-foot-10 naturalized center Marcus Douthit, who will be making his debut in the Asian level competition.
Question now is: Who will be cut among the remaining players?
Toroman will have to decide who from his core group of guards Chris Tiu, JV Casio and Mark Barroca, forwards Mac Baracael, Dylan Ababou, Marcio Lassiter, Chris Lutz and Japeth Aguilar, and center Jason Ballesteros will make the team.
During the Nationals’ final practice session last Monday at the Meralco gym in Ortigas, the 56-year-old Toroman gave a few hints.
"We’ll see the situation with JV,” Toroman said. "It’s a possibility (to scratch Casio) if we see him in practice (Tuesday), and again on 14th in the morning practice. If he’ll say he won’t be ready, he won’t be ready. If he’ll say he’s ready, he’ll be in the lineup.”
Because of a swollen left knee, Casio has missed the final three games of Smart-Gilas in last month’s William Jones Cup in Taipei. Since then, he wasn’t able to join the team practice. It was only last week that he was given the ‘‘green light’’ to play in scrimmages.
The 25-year-old Casio said he’s about 90 percent ready, adding that the knee is not actually the issue as he is just recovering his full strength, saying: "It’s better than the last two weeks. Strengthening na lang talaga, kailangang magpa-lakas.”
Games Thursday (Wuhan Gymnasium, Wuhan, China)
9 a.m. — Syria vs Jordan
11 a.m. — Chinese Taipei vs Iran
1:30 p.m. — Japan vs Indonesia
3:30 p.m. — Malaysia vs Korea
6 p.m. — Smart-Gilas Pilipinas vs UAE
8 p.m. — Bahrain vs China
(Hongshan Gymnasium, Wuhan, China)
6 p.m. — Qatar vs Uzbekistan
8 p.m. — Lebanon vs India
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