MANILA, Philippines — Masaya si Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) program director Tab Baldwin sa itinatakbo ng training camp ng Gilas Pilipinas pool sa Ins-pire Sports Academy sa Calamba, Laguna.
Nakikita nito ang abilidad ng bawat isang player na hinahawakan niya kaya’t tiwala ang beteranong coach sa maganda ang laban ng Gilas squad sa dalawang FIBA tournaments na lalahukan nito.
Pinuri nito ang ilang miyembro ng pool partikular na sina Mike Nieto at Matt Nieto na itinuturing nitong leader ng grupo.
“I think that we have some natural leaders here. Matt Nieto, he’s a very, very natural leader. He’s very vocal in our trainings and whenever he’s in our trainings, you can feel a different level of intensity. His brother, Mike, is also a very good leader,” ani Baldwin sa programang Hoops Life ng Smart Sports.
Maliban sa mga na-ngunguna sa koponan, tinukoy din nito ang ilang players na malaki ang magiging kontribusyon sa Gilas Pilipinas sa oras na mas mahasa pa ng husto ang kanilang basketball skills.
Ilan dito sina Dwight Ramos, Angelo Kouame, Isaac Go at Kai Sotto.
“I think Kai, ultimately, with his worldly experience and everything that he will be bringing into the environment. There’s another guy, Isaac Go, because he is such an intelligent human being and he understands the game of basketball,” ani Baldwin.
Dahil sa nakikita nitong talento, tiwala si Baldwin na nasa tamang direksiyon ang Gilas Pilipinas program.
Hindi lamang sa FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers at FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament nakasentro ang SBP sa programa nito dahil mas malalim ang nais nitong maabot.
Partikular na pinagha-handaan ng SBP ang FIBA World Cup na iho-host ng Pilipinas sa 2023 kasama ang co-hosts Japan at Indonesia.
“There are a lot of options that we have to gain leadership quality and leadership actions, and we’re gonna need that. That’s very important for us,” ani Baldwin.