Impossible Dream

I'm sure most people in the basketball community are still dreaming of the day when the country makes it back to the Olympics or the world basketball map.
Basketball is still our No. 1 sport today and will continue to be mainly because of the financial support from the big corporations, the success of the school leagues and the way it is covered by the media.
But we must put some sense into our madness.

After watching the Philippines in the recent Jones Cup, it would be best for the PBA to abandon its dreams of ever leading a team that would take the country back to the world or Olympic map.
It simply cannot be done-not by a team assembled in haste, trained haphazardly, and worse, with players who have just come from a hectic professional schedule and are coming to international competition with all sorts of injuries.
The way countries from the Middle East manhandled the Philippines gives us an idea that we can no longer compete against the best countries in the globe. We don't have the size, we no longer have the speed to overcome size, and most of all, we don't have the ball movement imperative to win internationally.
Our players have the skill, of course, the skill to dazzle fans inside the Araneta Coliseum or the Cuneta Astrodome or the Ynares Center and in the provinces. In short, our players are made to play against each other and against no one else.
The PBA should stick to making its product (the games) the best that it can be.
Forget going international. We simply don't have the tools to play there anymore.
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However, the Smart Gilas program seems to be on the right track.
They have a permanent coach for three years who has a proven track record, Serbian Rajko Toroman. He has taken Iran to the Beijing Olympics. His players came from the amateur ranks whose desire to play for the country is still high on their priority list.
They are reportedly receiving salaries commensurate to that of the PBA.
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Though I think he is still a little raw, we all saw how good Japeth Aguilar is and what potential he has.
It is a pity that he decided to turn pro immediately.
He would have been a big help to the Smart Gilas team because of his brand of play and training in the US collegiate level. He has what is needed in international competitions.
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Perhaps some of the money being spent on basketball can be shared with other sports where we stand a better chance of achieving our "Impossible Dream." Tommy Manotoc, "Heart, Soul, Sports" - INQUIRER.net