'Group of Death’ unfazes Toroman

Source: Waylon Galvez | mb.com.ph

The Philippine Smart Gilas basketball team fell into the “Group of Death,” but national coach Rajko Toroman of Serbia is undaunted and feels the nationals can make it to the Final Four of the 21st FIBA-Asia Champions Cup.

The Philippines is bracketed with defending champion Iran, perennial Middle East power Kazakhstan, an unknown Iraq squad and host Qatar in Group A, anyone of whom, except Iraq can win the championship.

“It’s a strong group, but we know we can compete against the top teams,” Toroman said Tuesday night after the national team’s practice at The Arena in San Juan.

Toroman, who built his reputation as the architect of Iran’s rise as an Asian cage power, sees his former team as the team to beat in the tournament.

Iran has remained a formidable force years after Toroman steered the country to the FIBA-Asia championship title which earned the team a spot in the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

For one, the team will parade a roster led by Samad Bahrami and possibly by 7-footer Hamed Haddadi, who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA.

Toroman also sees Kazakhstan as tough team considering its consistent top finishes in the Asian Games, while Qatar, he said, enjoys a home court advantage and Iraq can pull some surprises.

The FIBA-Asia Champions Cup is set May 22 to 30.

“Just like what coach Toroman said, this Champions Cup will be much stronger than last year,” said the RP team manager Frankie Lim, who is set to leave for the United States this Saturday with the rest of the team.

Smart-Gilas will train for nine days in Las Vegas, and Lim said he and Toroman hope to use the opportunity to look for the right reinforcement, who will be a candidate for naturalization.

After the US trip, the team will then proceed to Canada for a four-day training.

Gilas is looking to improve on its fifth place finish in the import-flavored tournament in Jakarta, Indonesia last year.

“We have to go to the quarters, and then it depends who we play in the next round. But we have to move forward from fifth place in Jakarta,” Toroman said, whose team will have to finish in the top four in its group to advance to the quarterfinals. Bracketed in Group B are Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates.