Former Gilas Pilipinas and current Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin hopes that Gilas Pilipinas can take full advantage of a three-month preparation time ahead of the FIBA 2023 World Cup.
While the national team finally got the preparation time it has been longing ever since, Baldwin said the availability of the players during the training camps would be crucial for current head coach Chot Reyes to employ his system and develop a cohesive unit for the global showpiece.
“It gives the coaching staff, coach Chot, and his staff, an immeasurable amount of time to prepare. But I wonder, is he going to have a full team. And for how much of that three months,” said Baldwin.
“Every minute of preparation that you would have a full team goes a long way towards being a strong basketball team. Every minute you don’t have a full team, you take away from the quality of preparation that three months gives you,” he added.
While players from the PBA will be readily available for the training camp after the league has decided to cut its season to two conferences next year, the availability of the international players including NBA star Jordan Clarkson and Adelaide center Kai Sotto will play a huge factor to the quality of the Gilas preparations.
“Obviously, I’m talking about the players like Jordan Clarkson, Kai Sotto, AJ Edu, the players playing in Japan, the players playing in Korea and Taiwan. How much of those three months will they be there?” the veteran mentor said.
“While the three months are great, what we really have to focus on is, Is Chot going to get one week with those guys or is he going to get one month which would be extraordinary in itself. The jury is still out on the value of those three months but it is an extraordinary measure achieved by the SBP and taken by the PBA,” he added.
Nonetheless, Baldwin lauded the PBA, understanding the sacrifice it has to make for the cause of the national team.
“It cannot be underestimated how difficult it was. A lot of people say the PBA should be two conferences. I don’t think they stop for somebody and lose one whole conference of work in terms of media coverage. They don’t think about the ticket takers, the security people, the media people, all the people that would lose income because of there not being a third conference,” explained Baldwin.
“This is a huge step taken by the PBA and not taken lightly. And the fans must understand, this was not easy for the PBA to do. This wasn’t just a Gilas thing. It’s a PBA decision which is extraordinary and it’s a massive sacrifice.”