source: Joaquin Henson | philstar.com

Smart-Gilas naturalization candidate C. J. Giles will be on home leave in the US until Sunday to attend to his ailing four-year-old son Jaden who is scheduled for surgery with a blood clot in his arteries and only a five percent chance of survival.

Giles was set to leave last night. SBP executive director Noli Eala said yesterday the former Kansas and Oregon State center will be back Sunday to resume practice. Gilas’ next game is against Coca-Cola in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome on Nov. 6.

“C. J. is really affected by his son’s condition,” said Eala. “What compounds the problem is his entire family depends on him emotionally and financially. His father has passed away and his mother is in Seattle recovering from sickness. Jaden is in California with his mother who’s been texting C. J. to come back.”


(Photo by Rick Olivares)

Giles’ brother Malcolm and his best friend, a former Oregon State teammate, will stay in town to await his return.

“C. J. never had a family to relate to and we understand his situation,” said Eala. “He’s lonely and pressured. Gilas is now his family. Coach Rajko (Toroman) and I have talked to C. J. He also sat down with his teammates in Subic last weekend. We’re committed to C. J. and C. J. is committed to Gilas. He told us he wants to prove to coach Rajko he can help our team. He knows his future is with Gilas.”

Giles plans to visit his mother in Seattle and son in California during his brief home leave.

“C. J.’s going through a difficult moment,” said Eala. “Jaden’s blood clot started in the lower body and is now up to his arteries. His condition is critical and his chances to survive are slim.”

Eala said Giles’ decision to return to Gilas won’t preclude plans to recruit a second import and high on the scouting list is 6-10 Shaun Pruitt of the University of Illinois.

“We’ve contacted Jim Kelly and Bobby Rius in the US and they’re helping us look for candidates,” said Eala. “I’ve seen Pruitt play for Golden State in the offseason. We’re checking out if he has an existing NBA contract. He’s bulky and a natural center with lots of experience.”

With three straight losses in the Philippine Cup, Gilas has still to display the murderous form that starched Powerade, 98-69, in a recent preseason charity exhibition game. Giles played only five minutes in the second defeat and sat out the third.

Eala pointed to several factors to explain Gilas’ downturn.

“We haven’t practiced as a complete team for more than two weeks,” he said. “Our rotation has changed with the entry of more players and it’s been difficult adjusting. Some players are still studying and finishing their units. We practice at night, finishing at 10 p.m. Guys go to school in the morning then report at 1 p.m. for our game at 2:30 p.m. I think some of our players are mentally and physically drained. At the same time, maybe, after beating Powerade, we thought it would be easy playing in the PBA.”

Shaun Pruitt


Eala said the losses have brought Gilas back down to earth.

“I think the guys lost their desire to prove themselves,” said Eala. “So it’s good to lose. This coming break will be helpful for us. We’re planning a three-day team building and we’ve just come from Subic.”

Eala said the Burger King game was a jolting baptism of fire.


(Photo by Rick Olivares)

“I think, partly, the reason we’re not playing our usual game is we’re intimidated,” said Eala. “The Burger King game changed us a lot. Coach Rajko noticed our team is playing a lot different from two weeks ago. He’s bothered and disappointed but challenged. He didn’t expect to be 0-3 at this stage. Against Ginebra, we didn’t want to get down on the floor, we stayed away from the lane. It could be in the back of our minds, we expected rough treatment. Also, the PBA teams have done a good job of scouting coach Rajko’s plays. It’s not like in international tournaments where there’s little time to scout because you play different teams every day. In the PBA, the scouting is excellent and coach Rajko credits the coaches for an excellent job.”

Eala said Toroman plans to install several new plays, including two on the defensive end, to be more competitive in the PBA.

“Coach Rajko is looking at the press and playing a little zone,” said Eala. “He wants some variations of his plays. We’re struggling against the zone. If we go up against a man-to-man, we can compete. But we’re shooting a low percentage against the zone.”

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