the other sport that we pinoys are CRAZY about ...

[JOM'S]

The Philippine even with the Filipinos short stature is unquestionably a BASKEBALL CRAZY COUNTRY, every where you go you will find a place to shoot hoops....

But the last few years, decades Philippine status as best Asian Basketball Country has slipped from Hero to Zero no thanks to the Giants of Asia like China, but also no thanks to Professional Basket Ball...

Now the Baskeball Crazy Nation has something to look forward to again, we are getting ready to produce an Olympic Qualified Team, remember only two slots are reserved for Asia, As early as now we have "Chot Reyes" as head coach and basically he has a list of players already, made a list of young guys who would peak by 2007 to 2008.

Professional:
Kenneth Duremdes - Sta Lucia
Denis Espino - Sta Lucia
Brandon Cablay - Alaska
Sonny Thoss - Alaska
Jimmy Alapag - Talk n Text
Mark Telan - Talk n Text
Willie Miller - Talk n Text
Yancy de Ocampo - Talk n Text
Jayjay Helterbrand - Ginebra
Marck Caguioa - Ginebra
Ren-Ren Ritualo - Fed Ex
Jean Marc Pingris - Fed Ex
Junthy Valenzula - San Miguel Beer
Tony Dela Cruz - Shell
Erick Menk - Ginebra
Nic Belasco - San Miguel

Amateurs:
LA Tenorio - Ateneo
Tyrone Washington - Wellcoat
Marck Cadona - La Salle
Arwind Santos - FEU

What you think guys, do you think this guys have a chance to bring home the bacon, any other names which you guys think that Chot should have included???

[THRILLAinmanila]

Pare he's missing an important and potential superstar Shell player...
Richie Alvarez !!!

[JOM'S]

Thanks for noting that Thrilla, I no longer follow the younger players now a days and don't know names, but one guys i think is good is Danny Ildefonso, but maybe his position is occupied by another worthy cager....

By the way what position does Richie Alvarez play?

[Chups]

Si Kenneth Duremdes na lang kilala ko dun sa listahan mo
Wala na mga idols ko.

[JOM'S]

I myself no longer know the young guns of the PBA and only know a few of them by name and only two by heart Denis Espino and Kenneth Duremdes, they are the only two remaining in my "DREAM TEAM LIST"...

How about you guys you have your own "Dream Team List" ???

[kadyo's]

Unlike you joma and chupacola, me and thrilla know the basketball happenings here in RP and I agree with the selection in the mind of Chot Reyes because he wants to form a team whose ultimate goal is to play in the 2008 olympics. Note that all the names in your list except for Duremdes and Espino are under 26 and the olympics will four years from now so by that time they will be four years older. This is a national training pool that will play in international tournaments together for four long years before hopefully realizing the dream of representing a once basketball proud country in the summer olympics and if you include older players they might not be able to sustain enough energy to withstand the run and gun style system of chot reyes. Btw, I agree that Rich Alvarez must be in the pool but nothing is final yet since the roster of 24 players will be annouced by chot at the end of this month.

[chito]

I am suggesting that we should dedicate our money and effort in supporting soccer or sepaktakraw, or any other sports that don't require height. Soccer require agility and speed and Im pretty sure, filipinos have all those two factors mentioned which we could use. Our neighboring asian countries are good at it like Japan and South Korea. Why couldn't we concentrate on sports like soccer which in my point of view we have much of a chance of winning?

I am not saying that we're not good at basketball. The truth is, we're really good at it. One evidence of how great we are was when we won the ABC Championship during the 80's era. But noting that we were reinforced by players who were only naturalized filipinos (actually they are not at all pinoys), this feat is not 100% achievement for our country (maybe a little over 50%!). And things are a lot different in competing for Basketball supremacy today as compared to the time of Caloy Loyzaga. Players then were way much shorter compared to now (take a look at Yao Ming, the gigantic 7'6" player of China), who would guard him? And let me add that China's average height is 6'5" (Paras was 6'5" and he was playing center with Shell turbo chargers during his prime in the PBA). And I am only speaking of Asia, what about the rest of the world? Argentina, Brazil, Lithuania, and the US of A! They are not only tall, they are agile and can jump and dunk the ball in front of smaller opponents.

Am i being too skeptical? Maybe not. Because deep inside I am a true-blue pinoy die hard fan of basketball who is also dreaming of someday watching the Philippine Basketball Team play the likes of Shaq or Duncan in the Olympics. Im not that skeptical, I am just being realistic. And I hope Chot Reyes is as realistic as I am.

[THRILLAinmanila]

**** Shell lost last night in an elimination game with Talk N Text for an outright semifinals seat

[JOM'S]

glad to hear your points kadyo and I know that Chot pick the players that he think will be peaking by 2007-2008 and took Duremdez & Espino as veterans who will lead the young guns...

chito i get your point that Filipinos can excel better in other sports like sepak takraw but like what I said before we are a Basketball Crazy Nation and we are still hoping to regain lost glory, maybe this last hurrah may give us the answers or enligthen us where we should focus our attention, and don't forget ASIA has 3 slots available on the next olympics, so that means we don't need to beat China we just need to be there at the top three and IMHO I think even a hastily formed PBA All-Star has a chance for 3rd place, remember Jaworski's National Team ...

Thrilla, when is the finals??? i think this is the first time PBA season ending January ???

[THRILLAinmanila]

Pare its just going into the quarterfinals stage.
They changed the format last year to conform with the
schedule of the important intl events like the Jones Cup,
and Asian Championships. The main aim of course is to get
back the Philippine team in the Olympics in Beijing come 2008.

Which is a good move since the Philippine team will have time
to practice together and prepare as a real team.

Malamang the finals will be sometime in Feb na.