HARD WORK NEEDED TO WIN FIBA ASIA CHAMPIONSHIP
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 28 Jan 2013
MANILA (PNA) -- ?Get the best of the best and win the FIBA Asia championship.?
This was the message FIBA Asia secretary general Hagop Khajirian delivered to Samahang Basketbol Ng Pilipinas with regards to the Philippines? hosting of the regional men?s basketball championship for the first time in 40 years on August 1-11.
?It (FIBA Asia hosting) doesn?t come every year,? Khaihiran said when he met the press at the MOA (Mall of Asia) Arena?s corporate suites lounge. ?The Philippines playing in the semifinals ? why not? Champion in FIBA Asia .. why not?
The high-ranking FIBA Asia executive cautioned his audience though, which included SBP executive director Renauld ?Sonny Barrios? and consultant Mauricio ?Moying ? Martelino: ?But it will come as a result of hard work and not by luck. There is no luck in winning the championship.
Khajirian predicted that the host country could only end up fifth in the coming tournament behind defending champion China, South Korea, FIBA Asia Cup reigning titlist Iran and Lebanon.
The top three teams after the Manila series will advance to the 2014 World Championship set in Spain.
Khajirian based his analysis on the results of the previous staging of the biennial meet the past decade when the Chinese and the Iranians usually wind up disputing the pennant. The Philippines, he recalled made it to the quarterfinal round twice in 2007 in Tokoshima, Japan and 2009 in Tianjin, China. The Filipinos made the semifinal round the last time around in 2011 in Wuhan, also in China.
Khajirian, who had been in Manila since Saturday to discuss with officials of the SBP regarding the organizational aspect of the tournament, said that this is the best chance for the Philippines to win the FIBA-Asia since the event will be held here.
The Philippines won the championship the first two times it held the tournament then under the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) during its inaugurals in 1960 and in seventh edition 1973. Khaajirian, in egging the host country to win the championship, actually echoed the same sentiment expressed earlier by 1973 team members Robert ?Sonny? Jaworski and William ?Bog Adornado.
Adornado, who attended yesterday?s press briefing, expressed optimism that winning the FIBA-Asia title is doable, saying: ?Let?s win the championship. It?s been a long time. I think we can do it, let us work together to regain the championship.?
According to Adornado, that tournament?s Most Valuable Player and three-time PBA MVP, stated that aside from getting the best talent to form the team, another key to win is for the team to be well-prepared as the then Basketball Association of the Philippines had done in 1973.
Tasked to form the national team is coach Chot Reyes of the ninth placer 2007 squad, who is expected to name soon the team composition expected to be bannered by PBA players and reinforced by 6-foot-11 naturalized center Marcus Douthit.
The FIBA Asia Secgen expressed satisfaction with the job done so far by SBP, saying by way of answering a question, ?I?m very satisfied with the work they?ve done so far. They (SBP) have an excellent program. The facilities are good, and we look for full house games, specially the in the Philippine Team games.?
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