On to FIBA World Cup

I HAVE been a basketball fan since my elementary days and that was a long time ago.

This was one reason why I gravitated to writing on sports when I found out I had the potential and basketball was my main beat back then, covering both amateur and professional leagues.

And this is why like many other basketball fans here, I too share in the dream of seeing again our national team playing at the world level, whether it be the Olympic Games or the FIBA World Cup.

So even if I have to admit that my interest in the game has gone down from before as I chose to focus more on work outside of writing, I still follow the journey of the Philippine men’s basketball team. I am saddened by its defeats and elated by its successes.

But this is me as a basketball fan, not as a trained management guy whose job is to look at things objectively and without emotions, making more business decisions than personal decisions.

Why do I differentiate these two personalities of mine?

As a basketball fan and I am sure I will remain one forever with less fervor maybe but a basketball fan nonetheless. I am certainly happy about the fact that Gilas has once again qualified to the FIBA World Cup later this year to be hosted by China.

PH head coach Yeng Guiao and his gritty Nationals, particularly Andray Blatche who seems to enjoy playing under Yeng more than Chot, the man behind the rise (and fall) of Gilas. I am sure until now, Chot has remained steadfast in his dream of recapturing lost glory.

They all deserve our appreciation for what they have accomplished in basketball.

To think Team Pilipinas had to do it the hard way, being a last minute qualifier and had to beat Qatar and Kazakhstan back to back in must win games right there in their opponents’ home grounds at that.

And so it is on to the FIBA World Cup. But my question, as an objective observer, is what will happen after the World Cup?

In the latest FIBA rankings, PH is 31st, one rung behind China. This simply means that we will be playing teams with a better ranking, including the heavyweights of the sport like number one ranked United States and number two ranked Spain, then others like Brazil, Canada, France, Lithuania, Nigeria, Greece, Russia, and from this side of the world, Australia, New Zealand, Iran, and host China, to mention a few.

We do not know yet how the draw will look so we do not know yet which countries we will face in the Group Stage.

Call me a pessimist but chances of advancing to the next round is more of a rare possibility than a probability, considering the cast of teams, to think seven slots have been given to FIBA for the next Olympics to come from this FIBA World Cup, but sorry, I just do not see us being one of the top seven teams.

Now if the immediate objective is just to qualify for the World Cup and whatever success we meet there will be bonuses already, unexpected at that, then okay, but beyond that, what are our chances really?

This is why I feel that when in planning anything, following the SMART principles of planning, the plan must be attainable. For me then, things have not changed, SEA Games, champion, nothing else, Asian Games, top four at least, and in the World Cup or Olympics where we may qualify, accept that in all probabilities we will lose but let us go down fighting and not games of massacre.

Of course, it is not even government or people’s money being spent by the SBP so if MVP wants to spend his and his companies’ money for basketball, and not for other sports where we have much better chances of success at the world level, I will not begrudge him at all, and even wish him the best because after all, I am a basketball fan, right?