source: Rick Olivares | bleachersbrew.blogspot.com

He won’t admit it, but Dylan Ababou is happy to have a ripped physique again. He had to put on weight during the past UAAP season so he could bang inside against the taller players at the four-spot. Now at his more natural small forward position, he, as the saying goes, has his groove back.

If the former UST Growling Tiger has put on muscle, Rajko Toroman, has gained a few pounds. “I…” the Serb paused as if he suddenly realized he was implicating himself, “am sleeping better.”

Now that the CJ Giles experiment is over, going to work has brought back an enthusiasm that was missing for a couple of months.

It would be incorrect to entirely blame the bad atmosphere on the American for there were other factors such as the reintegration its collegiate players into the squad and the various controversies that dogged the team. Management had foreseen some but not at that particular degree of difficulty, but the combined problems turned it into a powder keg situation. If at all the matter crops up in conversation, it is usually followed with a shake of the head with a mutter that trails off… “sayang.”

With the storm having passed, the difficulties they now have are “ordinary basketball problems” as Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Executive Director Noli Eala likes to say. And one of which was putting together the team they envisioned for this long journey. The three players on their list included Ateneo de Manila’s Rabeh Al-Hussaini, the University of Cebu’s Junmar Fajardo, and the University of the East’s Paul Lee. All three names were submitted to the PBA for Smart Gilas’ line-up in the ongoing Philippine Cup.

Al-Hussaini, who played for the team in their exhibition games versus PBA clubs in last year’s pro club campaign, signed soon after the UAAP season. But that was it. University of Cebu officials who were not enamored with the Gilas program thought that it was in their school’s best interests for Fajardo to stay home. It was the same for UE that still smarting from its UAAP Finals loss and the graduation of many key players. They felt that they needed Lee for their PBL campaign and other post-UAAP tourneys to get back on track. The Nationals’ team management has backed off, respectful of the schools’ decisions.

Hardly stung by the rejection, team management cast their eyes offshore to several Fil-foreigners. With the help of team supporter Nardy Madrasto, the team began looking at Stanley Pringle, the former Penn State Nittany Lions point guard who was now playing in Belgium, Christian Standhardinger, a 6’8” Fil-German who was suiting up in the US NCAA with Nebraska, and Chris Lutz, the current captain of the Marshall Thundering Herd basketball team. Of the three, only Lutz has committed to the program, having played with the squad for two weeks in the middle of 2009.

And of the current pool of locals, it is only Ryan Buenafe, Aldrech Ramos, Ric Cawaling, and Magi Sison who will return to their teams come next year’s college basketball season. Having undergone first hand the problems of reintegration, the coaching staff was more confident of dealing with the next time around.

For the moment though, the players are engrossed constant training that trainer Jim Saret puts them through.

In one of the exercises of trainer Saret, the players are in a semi-squat position with their hands spread out on the side – the perfect defensive formation when fronting one’s man. The coach, with his arms spread, holds up a tennis ball on both his hands and would drop one to test a player’s reflexes and quick reaction as they tried to catch the ball. It’s a modern take on an old child’s game where one placed their palms on top of another’s and they would try to slap the other’s hands. There’s no pain here except for the sheer challenge of it and perhaps some simple bragging rights. Rabeh Al-Hussaini does the best and he receives some congratulations from Team Manager Butch Antonio.

“Sound mind in a sound body.” proclaims Saret who made the successful transfer from being a tennis pro to a specialist in physical training.

Saret’s inclusion in the national team was by accident. While filling in for the regular team trainer, Toroman was so impressed with his methods that he asked him to stay on. That calls to mind the late New York Yankee first baseman Lou Gehrig who filled in for Wally Pipp at first base and never came off the bag until his body was ravaged by an illness that would soon bear his name. Saret is clearly pleased by the comparison. And more so since a friend of Toroman’s from Macedonia is in town and was likewise impressed with the Filipino’s regimen. “I will adopt this in Europe,” he says while holding up his mobile camcorder to tape the proceedings.

The team is almost rounding out into the form that the made them deadly earlier in the year. In the current Philippine Cup, the team totes a 3-4 record with three matches to go. The atmosphere is light and there is an air of confidence about the squad.

In Giles’ place is Jamal Sampson, a cousin of former Houston Rockets center Ralph Sampson. When Giles’ presence became such a disturbing factor within the team, Eala called up the American’s agent Chris Emans, and informed him of the decision to drop the former Los Angeles Lakers draftee. “No hard feelings,” said Eala who had seen many American players come and go for a variety of offenses. But SBP Executive Director asked Emans for a list of possible replacements.

When choosing an import to beef up the team, there are several criteria that the team’s braintrust looks at – credentials, skills, attitude, and willingness to relocate for an extended period of time.

Giles had the skills and the willingness when he first joined Gilas. The team thought they could ride out the “emotional quotient” concerns that was somewhat obvious during training camp in Las Vegas early this year but it eventually came back to bite the team big time. It prompted also the team management to consider getting a European rather than an American player.

Sampson, who was in China hoping to play around a month ago, was better in some respects. He was broad, massive, and liked to play inside. While he didn’t have the range and hops of CJ, he was a real force on the inside with a nasty drop step he would use to ditch his man before sending the rock home with a backboard-shaking flush. On the defensive end, he was intimidating with his reach.

Despite his quietness, Sampson enjoyed the warmer weather and the more comfortable ambiance of Manila. “People speak English here,” he explained. “It makes is easier for me to get used to things. And the food is a plus. Soul food.”

The changes weren’t only on the players’ end. Eric Altamirano, coach of the U-16 team could join the staff. There was also the possibility of Letran’s longtime bench master Louie Alas joining in.

And former Coca Cola mentor Binky Favis, was being considered to join the team. SBP officials liked Favis for his defensive schemes and comprehensive scouting reports. Key areas that Smart Gilas could improve upon as the team moved into its second stage in preparation for its Olympic dream.

“The whole point of all of this,” explained Toroman of the fine-tuning, “is to make things smooth. We fix what we need to while there’s time.”

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