Source: By Joaquin Henson (The Philippine Star)
MANILA, Philippines - With more international exposure in the works and a naturalization candidate close to coming to terms, the Smart-Gilas national basketball team is shaping up to be the darkhorse at the Asian Games in Guangzhou this November.
Gilas is now in Serbia to play six exhibition games in 10 days. The first outing saw Gilas lose an 86-76 decision to Metallac Vallevo in Belgrade the other day. Metallac’s size and three-point shooting made the difference in the game where a Serbian referee walked out in the first quarter after being kicked by a Vallevo player.
Coach Rajko Toroman recently took the squad to Australia where the nationals, playing without a naturalization candidate, went unbeaten, winning five and drawing one. Gilas beat the Australian under-19 team, 78-67, Australian Institute of Sports (AIS), 79-73, Canberra Gunners, 79-73, New South Wales Institute of Sports, 82-63, and the Sydney Comets, 93-81. The draw was with AIS, 73-all, in a rematch.
“The team is looking better by the day,” said SBP executive director Noli Eala. “The nice thing is that our big men are beginning to gain confidence due to good exposure.”
Eala referred particularly to 7-foot Greg Slaughter and 6-9 Japeth Aguilar who produced impressive numbers during the Australian series. Slaughter hit 16 points in the win over AIS and 13 in the rematch. He had nine points, five rebounds and two blocked shots against Canberra, a Southeastern Australian Basketball League club. Aguilar compiled 29 points, 10 rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals in the 12-point victory over Sydney.
A former LeBron James teammate with the Cleveland Cavaliers will likely reinforce Gilas as national team manager Frankie Lim said yesterday the probability is 6-11, 251-pound Dwayne Jones of St. Joseph’s University will sign up.
“I’m close to signing Jones,” said Lim. “I’m just waiting for them to return the contract to me and that would be in a couple of days.”
Eala confirmed that a contract has been sent for Jones’ signature by Lim and “we’re waiting for an agreement.”
Gilas’ original naturalization candidate C. J. Giles was released by Sporting Al Riyadi of Beirut due to “bad disciplinary issues” last week. Giles was also cut by Gilas because of attitude problems, prompting Eala to describe the perfect “import” as a player who can defend the post, rebound and score but most importantly, is reliable and willing to play within Toroman’s system.
Toroman went to Las Vegas last month to check out naturalization candidates and listed six possibilities, including Jones. Lim even flew in two candidates, 6-10 Darian Townes of Arkansas and 6-10 Jameel Watkins of Georgetown, for tryouts but neither was impressive.
Gilas is booked for a nine-day training trip to Las Vegas next month when Marshall University crack guard Chris Lutz, a Fil-Am, will check in for duty after graduation. Then the team will play two games in five days in Vancouver before returning home. In May, Gilas is scheduled to play at the FIBA-Asia Champions Cup in Qatar. The national squad is also competing in the Stankovic Cup in Beirut and the Jones Cup in Taipei to prepare for the Asian Games in Guangzhou in November. The ultimate goal is to clinch a ticket to the 2012 London Olympics via a championship finish at the FIBA-Asia Championships in Beirut the year before.
If there’s anyone who can shore up Gilas’ middle, it’s Jones. In 2004, he teamed with Jameer Nelson and Delonte West to lead St. Joseph’s, a Jesuit school in Philadelphia and Norman Black’s alma mater, to a 30-2 record and an NCAA Elite Eight spot. Jones, 26, earned a degree in sociology at St. Joseph’s where as a senior in 2004-05, he averaged 10.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots.
In the NBA, Jones suited up for Boston, Cleveland and Charlotte. This season, he was almost called up by the Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards. Jones is now averaging 17.4 points and a league-high 15.6 rebounds for the Austin Toros in the NBA D-League. He is No. 1 in double-doubles with 32.
Jones’ connection with the Philippines is through Toros general manager Dell Demps, a former PBA import who is also the San Antonio Spurs director of player personnel. Demps reportedly maintains a condo unit in Manila and keeps close ties with Filipino coaches.
Jones played as an import in Turkey and Serbia so he’s no stranger to FIBA rules.
Last Saturday, Jones collected 14 points and 14 rebounds in a 48-minute, no-relief job as the Toros downed the Bakersfield Jam, 122-110. The next day, he erupted for 27 points, shot 11-of-17 free throws and grabbed 12 rebounds in 42 minutes in the Toros’ 111-92 win over the Jam in a rematch.
A scouting report on Jones said that his “bread and butter remains his outstanding rebounding ability.” The report added, “Averaging an outstanding 15.6 rebounds (in the D-League), Jones does a lot of the things that NBA teams want from a short-term player: he pulls down an exceptional 5.9 offensive rebounds per game, he provides a defensive presence with his terrific strength, length and bulk, and he can bring energy off the bench...one of the most consistent players we’ve observed, Jones is a steady veteran who remains on the cusp of the NBA.”
With his NBA options drying up, Jones seems ready to make the jump to Gilas.
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