Baldwin puts premium on chemistry

MANILA, Philippines - Gilas coach Tab Baldwin isn’t necessarily in the hunt for the best players to assemble for the national squad bound for the FIBA Asia Championships in Hunan, China, on Sept. 23-Oct. 3. His priority is to form the best team in the bid to claim a ticket to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics as the sole Asian entry.

Baldwin, who is now in New Zealand visiting family and will return here on Jan. 17, said it’s too early to even speculate on how many will be picked for the national pool. “We’re going to look closely at how the players perform in the next PBA conference,” he said. “It could be 15 players or even 30 in the pool. In the end, we want a team that has chemistry. We won’t only look at the skills of a player but also his character, how he fits in our style of play.”

Baldwin, 56, said for the coming Olympic qualifier, it’s not likely that newcomers will be picked for the team. “We’ll make a strong effort to qualify for the Olympics so we’re looking to form a team of experienced players, veterans who know what it’s like to play under international conditions,” he noted. “We won’t go with young blood for the moment. Maybe, when we plan for the 2019 World Cup, we could bring in new guys and get them ready in a two or three-year program. Right now, our focus is to win the FIBA Asia Championships.”

As Gilas coach, Baldwin said he hopes to be involved with the SBP in the process of selecting players for the national team at every level. “When I return from New Zealand, we’ll sit down with the SBP and look at what’s ahead,” he said. “I’d like to be involved in every step of the way because over the long run, there’s an impact on the elite program. So that means covering the Southeast Asian Games, the cadet championships and others. My family won’t be with me while I work in Manila. My focus will be exclusively on basketball.”

Baldwin said he intends to employ the dribble-drive offense introduced by former national coach Chot Reyes. “I think Chot’s system fits the Filipino style of play,” he said. “I’ve even brought it to New Zealand. I’m still learning it. With Gilas, I don’t think we’ll run it exclusively. We want to be more aggressive, more gamble-oriented. I certainly hope it’ll be an exciting brand of basketball.”

At the recent FIBA World Cup, Baldwin sat on the Gilas bench only for the game against Puerto Rico. Another consultant Nacho Lezcano joined Reyes on the bench for the Senegal outing. The Puerto Rico contest went down to the wire. Gilas led, 25-13, at the end of the first period and 44-39 at the turn. Andray Blatche hit a triple to put Gilas ahead, 70-67, with 3:37 left. Then, guard J. J. Barea took charge and scored eight straight points as Puerto Rico opened a 75-70 lead, time down to 0:13. Jimmy Alapag knocked down three free throws to close in, 75-73, with 0:04 to go. Puerto Rico’s Ricky Sanchez sealed it with two free throws, 77-73. Barea finished with 30 points. Blatche compiled 25 points and 14 rebounds while L. A. Tenorio netted 18.

Baldwin coached in the NCAA Divisions I and II before transplanting to New Zealand in 1988. He brought the Tall Blacks to the FIBA World Cup in Indianapolis in 2002 and New Zealand went all the way to the semifinals. In recognition of the Tall Blacks’ feat, Baldwin was conferred honorary officership of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Baldwin coached New Zealand at the 2002 and 2006 FIBA World Championships and Lebanon at the 2010 edition in Turkey. His stint as Gilas consultant in Spain last year was his fourth appearance at the FIBA World Cup.

Baldwin also coached New Zealand at the 2004 Athens Olympics. If the Philippines qualifies for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, it will be Baldwin’s second Olympic assignment. His other accomplishments were leading New Zealand to a silver finish at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006 and Jordan to second place at the FIBA Asia Championships in Wuhan in 2011, losing to host China by a point in the final.

Baldwin’s coaching resume includes stops in Turkey, Greece, Romania, Malaysia and China.  Before taking over the Gilas reins, he was national coach of New Zealand, Malaysia, Lebanon and Jordan.

Baldwin declined to name his personal choices for assistant coaches and players in the next Gilas roster. He said there will be discussions and consultations with SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan and other SBP officials in the process of finalizing the lineup.

Baldwin met Reyes when Gilas had a 10-day training camp in New Zealand in July 2013. Reyes then invited Baldwin to join Gilas as a consultant for the FIBA Asia Championships in Manila that year. Baldwin continued his association with Gilas as a consultant for the FIBA Asia Cup, FIBA World Cup and Asian Games last year. He was signed to a four-year contract by the SBP effective this month , renewable to five years upon Gilas’ qualification for the 2019 FIBA World Cup which the Philippines is bidding to host.

Baldwin recently said there are three cornerstones in his approach to basketball – planning, preparation and hard work. “You get results out of hard work,” he said. “It’s not about the talk. It’s not about wishing results will happen with a little bit of luck. You’ve got to put in the work then the results will follow.”

Baldwin follows in the footsteps of other foreign coaches Ron Jacobs, Norman Black, Tim Cone and Rajko Toroman who’ve piloted the Philippine team. Jacobs, Black and Cone are now Philippine residents. Toroman is currently coaching the Jordan national squad. Baldwin’s predecessor Reyes brought the Philippines back to the FIBA World Cup after a 36-year absence and led the national team to its first win on the global stage in 40 years.