SBP taps Dickel as interim coach

MANILA, Philippines — TNT KaTropa consultant Mark Dickel, a protege of former Gilas Pilipinas coach Tab Balwin, has been tapped to handle the national team as it gears up for next month’s first window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.

The two-time Olympian will serve on an interim basis, handling the reins specifically for Gilas’ upcoming home game against Thailand on Feb. 20 and road assignment against Indonesia three days later.

“In his short stint in the Philippines, coach Mark has performed creditably well,” Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan said of the Kiwi, who’s been with TNT since the 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup and helped the KaTropa take runner-up honors in last year’s Commissioner’s Cup.

Pangilinan expressed belief Dickel can whip up Gilas’ 24-man “hybrid” pool, which included KaTropas RR Pogoy, Troy Rosario and Ray Parks, into fighting form in time for the immediate task at hand.

“We want to hit the ground running for the upcoming 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. We all know what he did to help TNT in such a short span and we’re confident he can also move things quickly as we prepare for the first window this February,” said Pangilinan.

The SBP didn’t mention who Dickel’s staff are but FIBA’s official website had earlier listed  Sandy Arespacochaga, an assistant at TNT, and Serbian Nenad Trunic, formerly with Iran, in the Philippines’ coaching staff along with Dickel.

Dickel took over from Barangay Ginebra’s Tim Cone, who was in charge in Gilas Pilipinas’ drive to a 13th consecutive gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games last month. 

The 43-year-old tactician fills in while the SBP continues its search for a permanent coach.  The federation expects to appoint a full-time mentor before the second window of the Asia Cup qualifiers in November.

In the meantime, Dickel focuses on making the pro-am Gilas combo primed up for the Thais, the losing finalist in the SEAG, and the vastly improved Indons under former Philippine stategist Rajko Toroman.

Aside from the TNT trio, Dickel also has in the pool PBA stars Kiefer Ravena and Poy Erram (NLEX), Christian Standhardinger (NorthPort), Japeth Aguilar (Ginebra), CJ Perez (Columbian), Mac Belo (Blackwater) and Matthew Wright (Phoenix).

PBA draftees Isaac Go, Matt and Mike Nieto, Rey Suerte and Allyn Bulanadi as well as Justine Baltazar, Dave Ildefonso, Thirdy Ravena, Kobe Paras, Juan and Javi Gomez de Liano, Jaydee Tungcab and Dwight Ramos, make up Gilas’ youth brigade.