ALLAN THE MAN

Being one of seven teams that has already qualified for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the Gilas Pilipinas is all geared up for Spain. We look ahead to our competition and (as a basketball-crazy nation) who we're excited to see our players matchup with.

Teams at the world stage pride themselves of a team-first mentality, and as such, there aren't too many players who really stand out. We know some of them though as they have shown their skills in other more popular venues, like the NBA and even the Spanish league.

With the official draw not happening anytime soon, we look at possible opponents that we might face if three things happen: 1.) A country qualifies as one of the teams to represent their respective FIBA zone; 2.) Said country gets invited to play as a Wildcard if they don't qualify; and 3.) If the Philippines and said country are drawn in a single group.

Jimmy Alapag - Marcelino Huertas (G, BRA)

Ageless Leadership

A player who's still considered one of the best in his country, but his contribution to the team rarely shows up in the stat sheets at this stage of his career. This statement is true for both Alapag and Huertas. With a deep collection of guards, Jimmy might have to play less than Marcelino would for his team, but they do provide the same sense of stability when their team needs it.

LA Tenorio - Jose Calderon (G, ESP)

Pointing to the Right Direction

Both are feisty players who have an outside shot and an occasional crafty drive to the basket, not to mention a knack for getting the ball to their teammates at the right spots. Though they aren't known for their defensive prowess, they do make up for it through the other positives of their game. Both are known to play well in pick-and-roll situations as either can knock down the three-pointer or dish to a cutting Serge Ibaka or Marcus Douthit.

Jayson Castro - Tony Parker (G, FRA)

Catch Me If You Can 

In the absence of the original "The Blur" in Leandro Barbosa, our version of "The Blur" will have to deal with one of the fastest guards in the world, France's Tony Parker. They have a close resemblance to their game: lightning fast, can get to the rim when they want, strong enough to finish suicide drives to the basket, can drop excellent drop passes when they draw defenders inside, and can hit the occasional three when necessary. We'd love to see them try to outrun each other. 

Larry Fonacier - Nicolas Batum (G/F, FRA)

Proving Ground

We have Larry on our team as our backup defender on the wing to spell for Gabe Norwood. But if Gabe's tasked to guard another player, Larry could very well match up with Nicolas Batum. The France-dribbler resembles Gabe's game: long, athletic, has an offensive touch inside and out, can distribute the ball, and can defend well. For those who might have forgotten, Larry played some PG back in Alaska, and he has a high basketball IQ that gets him to the right spots on defense, also allowing him to make sound decisions on offense. Come 2014 in Spain we expect Larry to show he's not a second-rate Gabe, but a first-class Larry -- ready to take on Frenchman Batum.

Jeff Chan - Kevin Durant (F, USA)

The Shootout

KD probably has one of the smoothest-looking jumpers in the NBA, if not the world. In the absence of the world-renowned sniper from Lithuania, Sarunas Jasikevicius, our very own sniper's best competition could probably be USA's Kevin Durant. Both players have the ability to let people hold their collective breaths when they take a shot from just about anywhere on the floor, because once it is released from their hands, it seems like there's a huge chance that it's going to go in. A shootout between these two is a must see.

Gary David - Vassilis Spanoulis (G, GRE)

Shooting a Country to Inspiration

When he was struggling, the Filipino people were behind the man they bestowed the name "El Granada". Then, for a game, we were all treated to a hot streak from Gary when Gilas went up against Kazakhstan. People still remember him as the guy who looked at his burning hands when they made a furious comeback against B-Meg led by PBA-favorite, James Yap. He's one of the seniors of this team, but his offensive prowess stepped into legendary territories in that amazing game. In the world, he may be up against Vassilis Spanoulis of Greece. A mainstay of the Greek national team, Spanoulis had a crack at the NBA when the Houston Rockets bought out his contract. He didn't see much playing time but he's regarded as one of the best players in Europe. Like Gary, he's known for his outside shots and his offensive outbursts. These two veterans have shown their countrymen their offensive skills in different stages, and Spain may be the first and last time they'll be able to match up against each other.

Gabe Norwood - LeBron James (F, USA)

Stopping a King

Our best defender against arguably the best player in the world right now? Bring it on.

Serge Ibaka (PF/C, ESP) vs Japeth Aguilar

Block Party!

Ibaka wasn't called "I-block-a" for nothing. This is a guy who goes after almost every shot that goes his way. He's an athletic beast that could jump high for blocks and rebounds, but sometimes would have fans hold their collective breaths whenever he tries to drop a long jumper. Not that he doesn't have the ability to hit it, it's just that he's not a known shooter. He's a bit limited offensively, but he tries hard (sometimes a little too hard) to contribute offensively to help his team win. He's a great spark off the bench, providing energy and intensity that their offensively gifted starters may not always match. Now, replace the first statement with "Japeth inspired a lot of Filipinos with his performance in the FIBA Asia tournament" and you could still get a coherent sentence. While they may not physically be compared, their skill set could be compared to each other. They even play the same position and roles for their teams; Japeth fills in for the offensively gifted big men Marcus Douhthit and Ranidel De Ocampo, while Ibaka plays the same role for Spain for the similarly offensively gifted Gasol brothers. How fun would it be to watch these two defend their respective courts? It'll be a block party like no other.

Marc Pingris - Carmelo Anthony (F, USA)

Containing an Offensive Supernova

We've always known Marc Pingris as one of the most tenacious defenders in the country. After FIBA Asia, we know that he's one of the best in our region. Time to show the world how good he is by trying to stop one of the most gifted scorers on the other side of the world. 'Pinoy Sakuragi' versus the sweet-shooting, Carmelo Anthony. 

Ranidel De Ocampo - Luis Scola (PF/C, ARG)

When a Doctor Meets Another

Crafty veterans who can pass and create their own shots from the post, but can be dangerous away from the basket as well. Scola and De Ocampo are not the most agile power forwards in the game, but their veteran smarts and creativity with the ball makes them that much effective against competition. It'll be fun to see them try to outwit each other in slow mo-like fashion.

JuneMar Fajardo - Jonas Valanciunas (LTU, C)

Prospects in Different Paths

A project center against a project center. JuneMar Fajardo, known as "The Kraken" even as a rookie entering the pro league, showed promise upon entering the league to validate his moniker. He didn't do as well in the FIBA Asia competition, but he's still got years ahead of him. Should they match up against Lithuania, he'll be able to test his skills against a younger project who's grabbed the starting Center position for his country. Jonas Valanciunas showed the growing pains that Fajardo did in his rookie season; promising flashes of brilliance but riddled with foul and immaturity. However, he's now the starting center of the Lithuanian basketball team, and those growing pains seem to have been dissipated as he won the NBA Summer League's MVP trophy. Can Fajardo catch up to the kid as he plays several PBA seasons before Spain?

Marcus Douthit - Pau Gasol (F/C, ESP)

Stretching the Middle

Our resident naturalized player, Marcus Douthit, has been our anchor in the middle. Our Kuya makes a Filipino feel how much he takes pride fighting for the flag stitched near his heart. He's an excellent passer, has a decent post-up and midrange game, and good with his feet on defense. He's not a high leaper as Japeth is, but he knows how to time himself for those blocks. He could be matched up with Spain's Pau Gasol. Sure, his brother Marc would probably be matched up with Marcus based on position, but wouldn't it be fun to see two lengthy front court players battling it out in the low post of both ends of the floor? They're not LeBron-athletic, but both Marcus and Pau are savvy enough to finish crafty layups while taking contact. They're not Durant-like shooters, but they have that 15-footer that's dangerous enough for a defender to bite on a fake. It'll be an amazing matchup between these two.

Chot Reyes - Mike Krzyzewski (Coach, USA)

Beautiful Minds

In a possible matchup of coaches who are more known for their nicknames than their actual first names, Coach Vincent “Chot” Reyes and Coach Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski could be locked in an epic coaching battle. Coach K has the definite physical advantage in terms of personnel, but expect Coach Chot’s Gilas boys to make us proud with their relentless hearts that will keep fighting against the mighty Team USA.

From a coaching standpoint, they made their names on different stages. Coach Chot is known for his success in the pro league, while Coach K is best known for his involvement with the Duke University program.

Apart from that, these coaches have travelled a similar-looking path in their careers. Both coaches started out as assistants to prominent coaches in their respective countries: Coach K with Bob Knight for the Indiana Hoosiers, and Coach Chot with Tim Cone with Alaska.

Both Reyes and Krzyzewski created a consistent program that have made their teams perennial contenders year in and year out. The Duke Blue Devils are a consistent favorite in the NCAA tournament, while the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters are always pre-season favorites. Finally, they both have experienced disappointment with a national team burdened by expectation, only to redeem themselves in their next tour of duty. Coach K coached Team USA’s Bronze Medal finish in 2006, which was the worst finish of the country since NBA players were allowed to join, and Coach Chot handled the Philippine Team which suffered a disappointing 9th place finish at the 2007 FIBA Asia Championship in Tokushima. We all know how Coach K’s “Redeem Team” barreled its way through competition in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and how Coach Chot’s return to active duty as head tactician of Team Pilipinas got us to a Silver Medal finish in the recently concluded FIBA Asia tournament.

These two coaches have earned the respect of their countrymen with their success in their respective careers. Now, each of them has managed to build a team of gifted athletes who are committed to their system. Spain could be a chance for us to see how well our system and athleticism matches up against the best in the world.

Special Mentions:

Dirk Nowitzki (F, GER) vs Ranidel De Ocampo

Rani-Dirk Meets THE Dirk

Our resident shooting big man, one of the best at that, was often playfully called "Rani-Dirk" for his prowess. Wouldn't it be great, then, to see how he matches up to THE Dirk Nowitzki from which his moniker was named after? Right now, it still seems like a dream matchup because of two things; Germany has yet to qualify as Eurobasket is still ongoing, and Dirk isn't currently on Germany's active roster. While the German superstar hasn't ruled out playing for his country again, there's still that hope of seeing RDO shooting long bombs against Dirk, while the latter counters with post moves and fadeaways that are seemingly unguardable.

Sofoklis Schortsanitis (C, GRE) vs Beau Belga

A Mammoth Battle

Sofoklis Schortsanitis doesn't only have a name that could give you a hard time pronouncing (or writing!), he also has a body of a bear. Known to some as "Baby Shaq", he was actually selected in the second round of the 2003 draft but only drew interest in 2006 after a strong showing by the Greeks in the World Cup (They finished with a Silver, falling to Spain in the Finals, after upsetting Team USA in the semis). His sheer size and old school big man type of basketball might be a problem for Marcus, should we get matched up with the Greeks. I say, why not call the "Pambansang Resbak" Beau Belga, Team Pilipinas' alternate player? He may be undersized in height, but the rock solid base of one half of the Extra Rice Inc. can hold his own defending against the big man from Greece in the post.

Renaldo Balkman (F, PUR) vs Arwind Santos

Taking it to the Court

We know he's not in the team, and Coach Chot might go with the same guys who brought us to the worlds, but for basketball-fantasy sake let's have this one. Arwind Santos has been on everyone's wishlist to be included in the National Team. There are countless factors that might have played into him not being included in the team, but let's just say he somehow, by some miracle, makes the cut. Then another wish is that Puerto Rico gets in to represent FIBA Americas. Wouldn't it be fun if we see Arwind Santos and Renaldo Balkman on opposite sides of the court? Of course we believed the two when they said there's no bad blood between them during a face-to-face interview, but since there's a lifetime ban on Balkman in the PBA, we really couldn't tell. So how about a competitive FIBA World Cup game? No choke.

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