Tab calls on all coaches

Today marks the opening of Olympic and FIBA World Cup coach Tab Baldwin’s third World Hoops Clinic featuring a star-studded cast of speakers at the Paco Arena, San Marcelino, Manila and if you’re a coach or just a basketball enthusiast interested to learn about the new trends in the game, it’s a proposition you can’t miss.

Baldwin, a two-time UAAP champion coach with Ateneo looking to seal a three-peat this season, leads the cast of speakers. He’s been involved in the last four FIBA World Cups, three as a head coach and one as a consultant with Gilas in 2014. Fans will remember Baldwin for piloting New Zealand to the semifinals of the 2002 FIBA World Cup in Indianapolis and one of his Kiwi players Mark Dickel is now TNT’s active coaching consultant in the PBA. Other speakers are Damir Milacic of Croatia, Jarez Drvaric of Slovenia, Dr. Nenad Trunic of Serbia, Dickel, five-time PBA Coach of the Year Chot Reyes, five-time UAAP champion coach and former San Miguel Beer and national team player Franz Pumaren and functional medicine specialist Dr. Stan Chua.

Baldwin said the third staging of the World Hoops Clinic is the best ever. “We certainly have an interesting lineup of coaches and some real pros when it comes to delivering clinics,” said Baldwin who flew in from Australia with the Ateneo squad last Tuesday. “My philosophy coming into this year was to put an emphasis on player development. So our clinic has more material based on player development but still continues to bring the European and international components.”

Baldwin pointed out that Drvaric and Trunic are both FIBA lecturers in Europe and they’re experts on FIBA rules, interpretations and directions. “They’re used by FIBA in the regular circuit of clinics that go through Europe, training and developing coaches in the most up-to-date theory and tactics of the game,” he said. “Coach Drvaric is a former head coach of Slovenia and was also an assistant coach of the great Yugoslavian teams of the ‘90s. One of his topics is the breakdown elements of offense which I think is so greatly needed here as well as an important facet of teaching the team elements of basketball as opposed to the more individual style that is so dominant in the Philippines.”

Trunic recently finished his contract as head of the youth program in Iran. He had signed a two-year deal with Iran and was the U16 national coach. “Coach Trunic is a doctor of philosophy and a professor of physical education,” noted Baldwin. “His coaching career is distinguished in terms of where and whom he has coached but more importantly, the influence that he has had on coaching in Europe. For our coaches to have the opportunity to share some time with Coach Nenad is a true treat. Further, he will be speaking on the development of point guards and inside players which is in tune with the clinic’s theme of development.”

Baldwin said Milacic will add perspective to the clinic. “Coach Milacic made his name as the Croatian national junior coach,” continued Baldwin. “He will be talking a bit about point guard play in terms of how they create for their teammates. Coach Damir actually played for me in my club pro team in Romania so we have a great relationship and he was a tough player and a great leader. I’ve also got Mark who was my point guard on the New Zealand national team and a great leader himself. Mark ran a hugely successful academy in New Zealand for eight years which sent over 40 young players to US universities on scholarships so Mark absolutely understands what player development is all about.”

Bringing in Pumaren was a coup since both Baldwin and the former La Salle star, now with Adamson, are rival coaches in the UAAP. “Coach Franz and I are working at the collegiate level and you can see the theme of development and coaching at the youth level playing out in a significant way,” he said. “With coach Jarez, coach Mark, coach Damir, coach Chot and me, we have five coaches with international coaching experience so this clinic assembles a treasure trove of coaching knowledge and expertise and I’ve impressed on our visiting coaches that many of our attending coaches are working at the grassroots level with younger players and are looking for tips and knowledge to help develop younger players and young teams. But because of the experience of our coaches, there will certainly be plenty of information suited to the coaches coaching at the professional level as well.”

Baldwin said he’s hoping for a big turnout from MPBL coaches. “I know this clinic will be invaluable to them at their level,” he said. “I also know several of the PBA guys will be showing up as I’ve already heard from them, both head and assistant coaches. And it would be great for coach Franz and I to see our coaching rivals in the UAAP and NCAA show up to share in this precious basketball knowledge.”

Here’s the full schedule. Today, 12 noon: Registration. 2:30 p.m. Coach Drvaric “Transitioning from Defense to Offense: From Rebounding to Fastbreak.” 4 p.m. Coach Pumaren “Fundamentals of Building Zone Presses and How to Attack Them.” 6:45 p.m. Dr. Chua “Optimizing Performance and Recovery of Athletes Through Nutrition.” 7 p.m. Coach Milacic “Decision-Making Skills of Lead Guards: Pick-and-Roll and Transition Situations.” Tomorrow: 9:30 a.m. Coach Dickel “Building Pressure Man-to-Man Defense Through Individual Fundamentals.” 11 a.m. Coach Trunic “Methodology of Teaching Defensive Rotations.” 1:45 p.m. Coach Milacic “Creating Shots with the Penetrate and Kick Game: Skills, Drills and Spacing.” 3:15 p.m. Coach Drvaric “Teaching the Breakdown Elements of Offense: Cutting, Spacing and Screening.” 7 p.m. Coach Reyes “How To Achieve Peak Performance (Getting in the Zone).” Sunday: 9:15 a.m. Coach Baldwin “Executing and Attacking the 2-3 Zone.” 10:45 a.m. Coach Trunic “Developing Point Guard Skills and Interior Player Skills and Game Understanding.” 12:15 p.m. Clinic Photos and Awarding of Certificates.