Toroman cites RP upside in hoops

Serbian coach Rajko Toroman said yesterday the Philippines could be a serious contender for the Asian championship in two or three years but a reorientation of the training program for the national team must begin now if the objective is to qualify for the London Olympics in 2012.

Toroman, 53, is fresh from piloting Iran at the Beijing Olympics. He was the coach when Iran beat the Philippines, 75-69, at the FIBA-Asia Championships in Tokushima last year. Iran won the FIBA-Asia title while the Philippines settled for ninth place.

Toroman arrived here last Saturday on the SBP’s invitation to watch the UAAP and NCAA finals and observe practice games of PBA teams preparing for the season opening on Oct. 4.

SBP executive director Noli Eala said Toroman is a leading candidate to coach the Philippine team at the 2011 FIBA-Asia Championships for a slot in the London Olympics the next year. Before 2011, the PBA will take charge of the national squad with its own coach for the 2009 FIBA-Asia Championships to qualify the top three finishers for the 2010 World Championships in Turkey.

If the SBP and Toroman come to terms, his first major assignment will likely be in the 2010 Asian Games.

Toroman said to prepare for the future, a pool of 15 top collegiate players must be formed now to practice regularly and eventually compete in the PBA as a team.

“There is tremendous potential in Philippine basketball, maybe two or three times more than in Iran which has no high school and college program,” he said. “Iran has a weak professional league while the Philippines has a very successful professional league with many talented players. We can start with 15 collegiate players and when there are invitations to play overseas, we could reinforce the team with some professionals depending on the necessity.”

Toroman said it would benefit the national team to be introduced to the European style of play.

“I think the Filipino players are more suited for the European style which puts an emphasis on tactics,” he continued. “Right now, I see Filipinos playing more like Americans with very little system, a lot of one-on-one and dependent on the athleticism and skills of individuals. In Beijing, the US was the worst tactical team but they won because of their superior individual talent.”

Toroman said when he coaches a team, his emphasis is fundamentals. “I usually call for practice twice a day,” he went on. “I don’t get the players up too early. I want the timing of the practices to be natural. In the morning, we start with weights then drills. In the afternoon, we continue the practice. I like to do different things at practice so nobody gets bored. I like to build discipline and character with my players.”

Toroman said he will recommend recruiting a naturalized player, like Japan, Jordan and South Korea, to beef up the national team.

“Iran won the FIBA-Asia title because of Hamed Hadadi who is 7-2,” said Toroman. “He was the only player to average a double double in Beijing and that’s why he just signed a three-year contract with Memphis in the NBA. I think the Philippines could use a big man in the middle like Hadadi. The Philippines has excellent outside players but it needs a post presence to open up more options on offense. FIBA allows a country to recruit one naturalized player and many countries do it.”

Toroman admitted the Philippines was his biggest nightmare in Tokushima and singled out Jimmy Alapag, Dondon Hontiveros, Asi Taulava, Mick Pennisi and Mark Caguioa as the players who gave him a scare.

In Tokushima, Iran held a slim one-point lead with 57 seconds to go when Greek referee Nikolaos Zavlanos slapped a technical foul on the Philippines bench to ice the contest. The technical foul meant two free throws and possession.

“It’s not true that Zavlanos and I are best friends but I don’t deny I know him because I coached in Greece where he works,” said Toroman. “From what I know, someone on the Philippine bench complained there was no travelling call on Iran and he was right behind Zavlanos. In FIBA, that’s an automatic technical foul. I don’t think Zavlanos was conscious of the game situation. Anyway, we deserved to win because we led most of the way even if we missed 24 free throws and Hadadi played poorly.”

Under Toroman’s watch, Iran improved dramatically in basketball, jumping from No. 51 to No. 37 to No. 29 in the FIBA rankings. The Philippines is No. 65.

Toroman said a problem in the Philippine situation is the calendar.

“In Iran, there is no local competition from March to August which frees players to practice for the national team,” he said. “I started with 29 players in the pool last year. In the Philippines, the pro league ends in July and the collegiate leagues in September, which gives very little time for the national team to jell. As you know, chemistry is very important for a team to be competitive.”

Toroman said in choosing players for the national team, he puts a premium on mental attitude.

“In the Philippines, I notice players are very popular like they’re celebrities so I think it’spossible many of them believe they’re great players,” said Toroman. “That could be a problem because they may not be receptive to lessons on how to improve on the international level. It’s not like in Iran where basketball isn’t popular and only 300 people watch the games. The players always have to prove themselves on the court.”

Toroman said he recently took a break from his basketball chores to visit his 14-month old grandson.

“I have only one child, a daughter who is married to Mladen Sekularac, a 6-8 player who was drafted by Dallas in 2002 and played two summer leagues with the Mavericks,” he said. “For a while, Mladen was considered to be the next Dejan Bodiroga. For 4 1/2 months, I travelled the world with the Iranian team and coached 32 games. After the Olympics, I just had to go home and visit my grandson whom I miss so much.”

Toroman said a nephew, Denis Toroman plays pro ball in Slovenia.

The other day, Toroman was introduced by Eala to SBP officers Nic Jorge, Bernie Atienza, Perry Martinez and Fritz Gaston. It is expected that a formal offer will be made soon for Toroman to coach the national team.