Toroman upbeat on Gilas future with Kouame, Sotto at helm
MANILA, Philippines – Former Gilas Pilipinas head coach Rajko Toroman foresees a bright future for the program amid the pool of young talent available to the team, especially with the recent naturalization of Ateneo Blue Eagles' Ange Kouame.
Toroman, who led Philippines to a fourth-place finish in the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship, admitted he was impressed with the future generation of Gilas stars. And now with Kouame and Australia-bound Kai Sotto committed to the team, he sees nowhere to go but up for the national cagers.
"I think that's the best for the Philippine national team: to have a lot of young players, a lot of prospects," Toroman said during Noli Eala's Power & Play last Saturday.
"You put two or three really great PBA players in the team, but I think mostly it must be young kids with Kai Sotto, with Kouame who are hungry, crazy to make something to expose themselves in Asia," he said.
Toroman saw an all-cadet Gilas squad in Bahrain last November in the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers, and he couldn't help but be in awe of the immense talent of the group at such a young age.
Though all college-level stars, Toroman saw each player play with a professional-caliber edge to it.
"I was very surprised with the quality of the team that played in the second window in Bahrain... Maybe they don't have the experience like the pro players, but they have quallity. That's an amazing team," said Toroman.
With the journey only beginning for most of these national team cagers, the Indonesia head coach sees an even more competitive future for the team — especially in the region.
"I think this team has a future... With Kouame and Kai and with these young kids, I think that's a very competitive team in Asia," he said.
Kouame got the go-ahead to join Gilas as a naturalized player after President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the bill granting his Philippine citizenship.
The timing becomes crucial for Gilas as they prepare for the third window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers set in June at Clark, Pampanga, and the Olympic Qualifiers.
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