UE guard to replace Jamarr?

MANILA, Philippines - Jamarr Johnson may be replaced by former UE guard Biboy Enguio Lopez as Indonesia’s naturalized player for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur on Aug. 19-30 and if veteran Mario Wuysang decides to retire from international play, coach Wahyu Widayat Jati will likely tap the Fil-Indonesian instead.

Johnson, 28, was a bust in Indonesia’s 97-64 loss to the Philippines in the final of the SEABA Championships at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Thursday. He finished with four points on 2-of-6 from the field, including two air balls, and two rebounds in 17:33 minutes. Johnson’s dream of playing as a 6-5 import in the coming PBA Governors Cup turned into a nightmare. Wuysang, 38, is in the twilight of a long career and may opt to give up his slot on the Indonesian team for the SEA Games. He averaged 7.8 points and 5.4 assists in six SEABA games.

Jati said Indonesia will come back stronger to challenge the Philippines for the SEA Games gold. Only seven or eight players from the SEABA lineup will be retained as Jati plans to reassemble a national pool of about 15 for a month’s training before trimming the lineup to 12 for a two-week grind in Houston. To be included in the pool are 6-3 Ponsianus Indrawan who was a late cut in the SEABA roster due to an injury and 6-6 Adhi Putra who withdrew from SEABA because of a family issue. Indonesia arrived in Manila for SEABA with 11 players and suited up only nine for four games until Johnson and New York-born Arki Wisnu were cleared by FIBA for the last two contests.

Jati said former FEU import Anthony Hargrove is another candidate as Indonesia’s naturalized player but it seems like Lopez has the inside track on the job. “We’re seriously looking at Biboy,” he said. “If he makes it, we’ll give up Jamarr’s height for a tough point guard.” Lopez, 28, was on the Indonesian team that placed second to the Philippines at the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore. He qualifies only as a naturalized player because he was born in the Philippines and didn’t get his Indonesian passport before turning 16 as required under the FIBA rules on eligibility. Lopez’ father is from Bali while his mother is Filipina.

Jati said when the team returns from Houston, it will set up training camp in Jakarta and Belem. The goal is to bag the gold in the SEA Games where in 2015, Indonesia lost to the Philippines, 72-64, in the final. Jati said Indonesia media mogul and FIBA Central Board member Erick Thohir was supposed to fly to Manila to watch the SEABA final but cancelled at the last minute to attend an IOC meeting where Indonesia’s hosting of the Asian Games in 2018 was a main item in the agenda.

Although Vietnam finished sixth of seven in SEABA with a 1-5 record, American coach Donte Hill said he’s optimistic the national team will nail a podium finish within four years. But Hill, 38, isn’t sure if he’ll be back on the Vietnamese bench for the coming SEA Games.

“It’s all up in the air whether the federation will keep me or not as national coach,” he said. “I’d love to stay. Last year, I coached the Danang Dragons to the first Vietnam Basketball Association championship. I’ve embraced the Vietnamese culture. I love Vietnam. I’m enjoying the cities like Danang, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. It’s a wonderful opportunity to be involved with the national team. I’m not frustrated that we finished sixth in SEABA. We lost some close games to Malaysia by a point and to Singapore by 10 and we beat Mynamar (77-44). We’re just getting used to playing on the big stage. Our players are athletic, hard-working and they’re warriors out there. We’re soaking in the experience and we’ll be better for it.”

The road to Vietnam for Hill was long and arduous. His basketball journey began as a point guard with the Ferris State University varsity in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for three years. He played four seasons with the Saskatchewan Hawks and Michigan Mayhem in the Continental league and coached the Jacksonville Giants in the American Basketball Association for two years. In between, Hill worked in a telecommunications company as an entry-level employee then head of sales until he lost his job because of the recession.

One of his Jacksonville players Lamar Sanders got a contract in the Japanese league and brought him over. “I’ve written a book entitled ‘Contagious Leadership – 13 Principles To Spreading A Winning Culture’ (available on amazon.com),” he said. “I give talks as a motivational speaker and I’ve had extensive experience as a player and coach. So when the Japanese league looked for a teacher and coach, Lamar called me. I was in Japan for three years then moved back to the US to start a personal training camp for pros like Jamon Gordon and Will Cummings. Before long, China reached out and I went to do a coaching academy for three months. Vietnam had previously contacted me about coaching and when I was in China, I got another call. So that’s how I ended up in Vietnam. I’m single, passionate about basketball and committed to taking Vietnam basketball to the next level.”