Baldwin stages best-ever hoops clinic

MANILA, Philippines — The third time’s the charm for three-time FIBA World Cup coach Tab Baldwin who’s hosting his third World Hoops Clinic to share the latest trends in the game with an all-star cast of speakers at the Paco Arena, San Marcelino, Manila on Aug. 2-4.

Baldwin, 61, is the Ateneo head coach in the UAAP with two titles under his belt. He coached at the FIBA World Cup in 2002, 2006 and 2010 and was a consultant with the Philippine team in 2014. Baldwin also coached in the 2004 Athens Olympics. His biggest feat was piloting New Zealand to the semifinals of the 2002 FIBA World Cup in Indianapolis.

Baldwin brings a high level of experience in teaching the nuances of the sport. He has coached in Turkey, Greece, Romania, Lebanon, New Zealand, China, Malaysia, Jordan and the Philippines and was the national coach of five different countries.

Aside from Baldwin himself, the speakers in the coming World Hoops Clinic are Damir Milacic of Croatia, Jarez Drvaric of Slovenia, Dr. Nenad Trunic of Serbia, TNT KaTropa active consultant and former Albanian national coach Mark Dickel of New Zealand, five-time PBA Coach of the Year Chot Reyes and five-time UAAP champion coach Franz Pumaren. Regular and on-site registration fee to attend the clinic is P6,000 each.

Milacic, 44, is a former Croatian national team point guard now coaching the Alkar club since 2012. His topic is “Decision-Making Skills of Lead Guards: Pick-and-Roll and Transition Situations.” Drvaric, 70, is a former Slovenian national coach and was an assistant coach with the Yugoslavian national squad at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. His topic is “Transitioning From Defense to Offense, From Rebounding To The Fastbreak.” Trunic, 51, is the former Serbian U16 and U17 national coach and played with Toni Kukoc, Vlade Divac and Dino Radja on the Serbian team that won the Europe Cup for Cadets in 1985. A FIBA coaching lecturer, Trunic is the Dean of Faculty of Physical Education and Management in Sports at Singidunum University in Belgrade.

Dickel, 42, led the US NCAA in assists with nine a game playing as a University of Nevada at Las Vegas senior in 1999-2000. He played under Baldwin with the New Zealand national team at the 2002 FIBA World Cup. His topic is “Building Pressure Man-to-Man Defense Through Individual Fundamentals.” Reyes, 55, steered Gilas to the silver medal at the FIBA Asia Cup in 2013 and booked the Philippines’ first win in the FIBA World Cup in 2014 after 40 years. Reyes won eight PBA championships and led the Philippines to the gold medal at the Jones Cup in Taipei in 2012. Pumaren, 55, played on nine PBA title squads with San Miguel Beer and brought five UAAP titles to La Salle. He now coaches Adamson in the UAAP. His topic is “The Fundamentals Of Building Zone Presses And How To Attack Them.” 

“We are expecting a good turnout of coaches and hope that we can continue to get the message out about coaching growth and knowledge development,” said Baldwin. “We are a fraternity and we exist to help our players realize their ambitions and dreams and I can tell you from experience that the learning never stops. The third World Hoops Clinic is the best so far and will be a boon for any attending coaches.”