A sound game plan for Korea

For 17 days, Philippine national basketball team assistant coach Eric Altamirano and chief scout Binky Favis lived out of a suitcase as they toured the Korean Basketball League (KBL) pro circuit to visualize what to expect from the host country at the 14th Asian Games in Busan on Sept. 28-Oct. 14.

It wasn’t easy taking four-hour bus drives and short back-to-back flights on the same day. The backbreaking schedule saw Altamirano and Favis visiting eight Korean cities, checking in and out of motels, inns, and lodges, and watching an overload of games, both live and on TV. They spent Holy Week scouting, breaking down tapes, and scribbling voluminous notes.

When Altamirano and Favis came back, they lugged over 20 tapes of KBL games and reams of scouting reports.

"The Koreans are deep in every position," said Altamirano. "They will be tough to beat, pound for pound. They’re quick. They’re deadly. They’re accurate passers. They like to penetrate and kick out. They also like to work the ball inside to their big men who can post up. But it’s not impossible to beat them. We’ll need a sound gameplan to win. If we can take them away from their perimeter game, we have a chance."

Altamirano said defense will be a key to beating South Korea. That means drills on individual defense, switching, help-and-recover, and sprinting back to prevent transition baskets.

Altamirano said the Korean squad is still being formed but mentioned 6-10 Seo Jang Hoon, 6-1 Lee Sang Min, 6-2 Cho Sang Hyun, 5-11 Cho Sung Won, and 6-4 Kyung Eun Moon are shoo-ins if they choose to play. The composition will depend on the head coach who could be Kim Jin of the KBL team Tongyang Orions.

A player to watch, added Altamirano, is 5-9 point guard Kim Seung Hyun who took MVP and Rookie of the Year honors in the KBL this season. He led the league in assists and steals. Kim, 23, will likely make his national team debut in Busan.

"Kim doesn’t score too many points but he controls the game," said Altamirano. "He looks to pass first before taking a shot. His team, Tongyang, lost 32 straight games and finished last in the KBL last year. But with Kim this season, Tongyang went to the finals."

Altamirano said veterans Hur Jae and Kang Dong Hee will probably make room for younger players in Busan. But he didn’t discount the possibility of oldtimers like 6-6 Chun Hee Chul and 6-3 Jung Jae Kun coming back for a swan song.

Aside from scouting the Koreans, Altamirano said the trip opened his eyes to the kind of gameplan the Philippines will need to beat the hosts.

The trip was not a cloak and dagger operation. "The Koreans knew we were in town to scout," said Altamirano. "They’re not scared of us. They’re not intimidated. They’re not insecure. They’re confident of their chances against us. They even helped us get tickets for games and tapes."

Altamirano said he noticed the KBL’s top stars aren’t too excited about playing in Busan. It seems that the stars are more enthusiastic about playing in next year’s ABC Championships which will decide the team to represent Asia at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

There is also the lure of big bucks in the KBL. Apparently, the stars would rather preserve their energies for the KBL where they’re paid to play than suit up for the national team.

The KBL, in its sixth season, is composed of 10 clubs and plays from November to April each year. A team is allowed to recruit two imports. The KBL invites would-be imports to try out in a US camp every year. An import must be under 6-10, at least 21 years old, and a holder of a four-year college or two-year university degree. Each candidate must pay a registration fee of $100 to try out. The KBL will conduct tryouts for 20 import jobs on July 19-21 in Chicago.

This season, some of the KBL imports were Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) veterans Artemus McClary, Dennis Edwards, Purnell Perry, and Andre Perry.

Altamirano said Korea’s inside offense is powered by Seo, who once redshirted at San Jose State. Seo, a 1998 World Championships veteran, has haunted the Philippines the last two Asian Games. In Hiroshima in 1994, he compiled 12 points and eight rebounds as Korea tripped the Philippines, 86-79. In Bangkok four years later, Seo erupted for 26 points to fuel Korea’s 103-83 romp over the Centennials.

In a KBL semifinal game this season, Seo netted a record 45 points to lift the Seoul SK Knights to a 120-108 win over the Changwon LG Sakers. The two-time KBL MVP averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Knights.

At the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) championships in Shanghai last year, Seo averaged 16.5 points and 9.1 rebounds but failed to power South Korea to the finals. How to contain Seo in Busan will be a major problem for the Philippines.

South Korea has won two Asian Games titles in basketball so far, in 1970 in Bangkok and in 1982 in New Delhi. It has also captured a pair of ABC crowns, in 1969 in Bangkok and in 1997 in Riyadh.

Altamirano said during the trip, he flew to Busan with Favis to check out the competition venue and book gyms where the national team can practice. He inspected five gyms before cutting down the options to two, both about a 40-minute bus ride to the tournament site. Altamirano said bookings will be coursed through the Asian Games organizing committee to reserve practice hours in the gyms.

In 1990, the Philippines made it to the Asian Games finals without ever playing South Korea. Call it the luck of the draw. But the nationals played China twice – the rematch was for the gold.

In Busan, it’ll take more than luck for the Philippines to dethrone defending champion China and repulse host South Korea. It’ll take hard work, sacrifice, unselfish teamwork, desire, unflinching determination, and unwavering defense.