MARQUES BOLDEN was on national team Head Coach Chot Reyes’s short list of potential naturalized American players who he would have wanted to reinforce Gilas Pilipinas for the International Basketball Federation World Cup that the country is hosting next year.
But it turned out Bolden was “the one that got away.”
Indonesia got to Bolden first and the result was devastating for the Philippines at the recent Vietnam 31st Southeast Asian Games.
Bolden scored 18 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots, a stat line that reflected little of what his worth was for the Indonesian team that shocked Reyes and his wards, 81-85, in the gold medal match last Sunday in Hanoi.
“We were really looking at Bolden as soon as they appointed me last February [as Gilas head coach],” Reyes told BusinessMirror in a chat at the Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi close to midnight Sunday. “But Indonesia got him first.”
Reyes does know his basketball with his choice of Bolden—and so does Rajko Toroman, who nurtured and coach the original Gilas Pilipinas program until he was replaced by Reyes. The Serbian then found his place in Indonesia, which proved that the Philippines is no longer invincible in Southeast Asia.
Reyes was named back to the Gilas Pilipinas program last February—also replacing Tab Baldwin who’s now focused on the Ateneo Blue Eagles—and one of his first order of business was to look for a naturalized player.
“We were looking for a 6-foot-10 [above] young player who has the size and skills to make an impact—that’s why Bolden was one of them,” said Reyes, adding that also on the list were 6-foot-10 Noah Vonleh of the Brooklyn Nets and 7-footer Dakari Johnson of Oklahoma City Thunder.
Bolden, 24, is 6-foot-10, with a legitimate National Basketball Association career. He played for Cleveland Cavaliers and was a candidate for the US national team.
Reyes said it’s no wonder Bolden was able to become Indonesia’s naturalized player in no time.
“In our country, it takes time to naturalized a player—a foreigner needs to get the blessings of the House of Representatives and Senate before the President finally signs it to become a law,” he said. “Unlike in other countries, naturalizing a foreigner is just an easy and quick process.”
Gilas has had two naturalized player—former NBA players Marcus Douthit and Andray Blatche—and the third, six-foot-11 Ivorian Ange Kouame, was Baldwin’s choice.
Kouame was stricken off the SEA Games roster because of his commitment with Ateneo in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines championship. TNT Tropang Giga’s Moala Tautuaa took his place.
SBP ACCEPTS BLAME, PBA STRESSES FULL SUPPORT TO GILAS
THE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) will remain supportive of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) despite the debacle at the SEA Games.
“We, the PBA, will remain ‘all out’ supportive and helpful to the SBP [about] what they need,” PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial told BusinessMirror on Wednesday, stressing that the league will continue lending players to the national team and tinker with its schedule to suit the international basketball calendar.
The SBP, on the other hand, apologized after the debacle in Hanoi that saw the men’s team and 3×3 squads failing to retain the gold medal. Only the women’s 5×5 team was able to keep the gold medal despite losing to Malaysia in its final match.
“We at the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas share the disappointment of our Filipino basketball fans and take full responsibility with the results of our 31st Southeast Asian Games campaign,” SBP president Al Panlilio said in a statement on Wednesday.
“We apologize we fell short and were not able to give our teams better support that they needed to retain the gold,” he added.
Panlilio offered no excuse but guaranteed to bounce back.
“We learned a valuable lesson. We will bounce back and reclaim our spot to stay ahead,” he said.
Image credits: Antara