Thailand looms as SEABA darkhorse

MANILA, Philippines - Thailand could’ve enlisted a naturalized player for the SEABA Championships starting tomorrow at the Smart Araneta Coliseum but the speculation is English coach Tim Lewis is reserving either 6-5 Tyler Lamb of UCLA and Long Beach State or 6-4 Justin Bassey of Harvard for the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur in August when the Philippines is expected to send a B team.

Lamb and Bassey are among a pool of Thai-foreigners unable to play in FIBA tournaments as locals because they weren’t issued their Thai passports before turning 16. Others are 5-10 Freddie Goldstein of South Alabama and 6-6 Moses Morgan of DePaul. Lamb and Goldstein were listed as Asian heritage reinforcements for the Thai club Mono Vampire in the ABL during the 2015-16 season. Their situation is like the Los Angeles Lakers’ Jordan Clarkson who is eligible to suit up for Gilas only as a naturalized player despite a clear Filipino lineage through his mother.

“We’re thinking that Thailand is keeping Lamb or Bassey or somebody else for the SEA Games because they know our A team will go to the FIBA Asia Cup in Beirut and we’ll be sending our B team to Kuala Lumpur,” said a Gilas insider. “But even without a naturalized player, Thailand is tough and can’t be taken lightly.”

The Thai roster for SEABA includes 6-5 Wuttipong Dasom who is Thai-Irish. Dasom, 26, was formerly known as Reuben Lane and born in Karachi. He’s the only Thai player not born in Thailand. Dasom supposedly grew up in Thailand so he presumably got a Thai passport before turning 16. Another Thai player 6-5 Sukhdave Ghogar, 26, is reportedly Thai-Irish but his lineage is still to be confirmed. 

Lewis, 49, was named Thai national coach last year and piloted Thailand to second place behind the Philippines at the SEABA Stankovic Cup in Bangkok last year. Lewis was formerly the head coach of the English U20 and Panama senior men’s national teams. In 2014-15, he was lead assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns’ affiliate Bakersfield Jam in the NBA D-League and his players included former PBA imports Elijah Millsap and Earl Barron and NBA veteran Tyler Ennis who played on the Canada team at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament here last year.

At the SEABA Stankovic Cup last year, Thailand lost a 66-65 cliffhanger to the Philippines in the elimination round then went down, 97-80, to Gilas in the final. Three Gilas players Troy Rosario, Jio Jalalon and R. R. Pogoy were held over for the squad playing in the SEABA Championships. For Thailand, seven players are back for the SEABA tournament here – Ghogar, 6-3 Nakorn Jaisanuk, 6-2 Chanachon Klahan, 6-6 Patiphan Klahan, 6-3 Teerawat Chanthachon, 6-2 Chitchai Ananti and 5-11 Kannut Samerjai. Only one player is over 30 in the youthful squad – Chanachon Klahan who is 33. The youngest player is 6-4 Naratip Boonserm who is 21.

Lewis, who is also the Thai team’s technical and performance director, said things are looking up for Thai basketball. “We have some size coming through and three or four young, potentially high-level players with the opportunity to lead Thai troops forward in the next 6 to 10 years,” said Lewis, quoted in fiba.com. “There is certainly talent and there are opportunities to play in the men’s program. We’re growing, it’s a process. But for sure, we’re headed in the right direction.”

Lewis said Thailand is going for gold in SEABA and a podium finish at the SEA Games. “Gilas will have a very strong team in SEABA because of the significance of the tournament,” said Lewis, realizing that only the SEABA winner will represent Southeast Asia at the FIBA Asia Cup in Beirut in August. “We want to improve and be seen as one of the top teams in Southeast Asia but it’s a long way to go in terms of competing with the Philippines at a regular rate. You never bypass the competition in front of you. Our focus is a chance to play in the SEABA final, to win it all. At the same time, as a country, for us to be in a medal position in the SEA Games would be a huge accomplishment.”

Thailand won its only SEABA title in 2013, beating Malaysia, 73-63 in the final. The Philippines didn’t participate that year. Thailand also took second place in 1994, 1998 and 2001 and third place in 2003 and 2005. In the SEA Games, Thailand has never won the gold but settled for the silver in 1991, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2011 and 2013.

Six Thai players are from the Thai league champion Mono Vampire club – 5-11 Sorot Sunthonsiri, 6-3 Anunuk Lodliang, Chanachon Klahan, Ananti, Boonserm and Samerjai. Thai runner-up Mono Thewphairgarm is represented by 5-10 Nattakam Muangboon on the national team.  In the SEABA Championships, Thailand plays Malaysia tomorrow, Vietnam on Saturday, Indonesia on Sunday, Myanmar on Monday, the Philippines on Tuesday and Singapore on Wednesday.