What does the Philippine team need to watch out for (vol II)

[rikhardur]

Previous thread is here.

[patay-butiki]

o-oh! future headache for toroman....

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news...136_50954.html

08-30-2009 19:51

Becoming Korean - Ethnic Draft No. 1 Pick Akins Wants to Represent Korea

By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter

South Korean basketball suffered a meltdown at the Asian Basketball Championships in Tianjin, China, two weeks ago, finishing seventh.
The result meant the team will not qualify for the World Championship next year.
And there may be no one who laments the setback more bitterly than KCC Egis point guard Tony Akins because the Korean-American basketball player believes he is Korean and will be eligible for the national team soon.
Akins was the No. 1 pick in the first ever ethnic Korean draft of the Korean Basketball League (KBL) in February.
"I was very happy and very proud because I am Korean and I have a chance to play in the KBL," Akins said in an interview with The Korea Times.
"It is something that I have wanted for a long time.''
Along with Akins, four more Korean-American basketball players ― Eric Sandrin, Chris Vann, Gregory Stevenson and Kevin Mitchell - were selected.
The point guard, born to a Korean mother and an American father, had played in the European leagues ― Greece, Turkey, France, Croatia, Russia and Poland, which are seen as more competitive than the KBL ― for seven years before coming to Korea.
"One (reason I chose the KBL is) because I am Korean and the other is I want to represent the national team,'' the 29-year-old said.
"I know I couldn't (play) last summer because I passed the citizenship test too late, but I hope next season I can play for it.
"Representing Korea is more important than playing just in European countries."
Although Akins passed the citizenship test in July, the process for getting citizenship takes about two months.
As a result, he could not play for the national team, stewarded by his Egis head coach Hur Jae, in China despite making the 24-player preliminary roster.
Instead, he had hoped for the team to finish in the top 3 at the Asian Championship, which would have earned a qualification for the World Championships in Turkey in 2010.
"I was upset,'' he said.
"I needed them to win for next year. … We cannot control everything.''
Akins, who was born in Detroit but raised in Los Angeles for 13 years from the age of one, is becoming more Korean, as, along with the citizenship, he has adopted his Korean name ― Jeon Tae-poong. Tae-poong means "typhoon"
"Just because I know that when I come to the KBL, a lot of things are going to change. Maybe, for the KBL basketball style. Maybe, I don't know. I am hoping," he said.
"You know, kind of, a typhoon just changes and stirs stuffs up. I like the name, and my last name is my mom's."
Akins has a significant symbol of his identity stashed on his back - a big tattoo of the Korean national flag surrounded by the Stars and Stripes.
"That is how I am. Growing up in America, all my friends were Americans but some of the stuff that I did was different than my friends,'' he said.
"A lot of times when I was with Korean friends, I could understand more and then I just started understanding that I was more Korean than I thought I was.
"I wanted the tattoo just to represent that."

Solid Career in College and KBL Tryout
Akins, who played for the U.S. under-17 team and won silver at the world championships in 1997, graduated from Georgia Tech, a prestigious basketball program in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which produced many National Basketball Association (NBA) players, such as Mark Price, Kenny Anderson, Stephon Marbury and Chris Bosh, and started for the Yellow Jackets for four years.
The left-handed point guard averaged 13.6 points and 4.6 assists during the span and he is now ranked high in several categories of Tech's all-time list: second in career three-pointers with 301, fourth in assists with 560, sixth in steals with 173 and 11th in points with 1,658.
"My college career was great. I averaged 17 points and 5.7 assists (in my senior season in 2001),'' said Akins, who made the all-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) second team at that time.
"Our team only made the NCAA tournament at my junior year in 2001, but all the other years, made the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) tournaments.''
In the 2000-01 season, Akins and Georgia Tech advanced to the second round at the big dance, where they fell to the Saint Joseph's Hawks, led by eventual NBA All-Star guard Jameer Nelson, who now plays for the Orlando Magic.
After failing to be selected in the NBA draft, he played in Europe before applying for the KBL tryout for imported players in Las Vegas in July 2008.
Akins showed off his prowess there and drew buzz from several coaches who said he would be the best point guard in the KBL.
Despite his competitive skills, however, he could not find any suitors because teams usually favor centers and power forwards, who can play down low.
"I already knew that I was not going to be selected. They told me before I had applied for the foreigner draft because they said that for foreign players, they wanted them to be tall. So I understand,'' said 1.80-meter Akins.
"But I just wanted to show the KBL that I can just play basketball instead of trying to show them my resume. Let them see first hand that I can play."
After finding a few good Korean-American basketball players, the KBL held the ethnic Korean draft and the Jeonju-based team selected him with their No. 1 pick.

Akins Gives Egis High Expectation to Repeat
With the addition of Akins, the reigning champion Egis have formed a formidable lineup, and Hur's side has high expectations for its second straight title.
The only four-time winner in KBL history has kept its championship roster mostly intact _ including 2.21-meter center Ha Seung-jin, veteran swingman Choo Seung-gyun and quick guard Kang Byung-hyun.
In addition, beginning next season, each team may only have one foreign player on the court at any time, so his joining should give the Egis a big boost.
"I think Akins will play up to expectations,'' Hur told The Korea Times.
"As we have made up for the guard position, which was weak last year, we will be able to play better this season.''
"His individual skills are outstanding,'' 12-year pro Choo told The Korea Times.
"And if he is in harmony with the way the team plays, we will have much easier games.
"But as we won the championship last season, he could feel pressured. We will try to relieve it by talking with him a lot.''
As Choo said, Akins will be under pressure this season.
"A lot of pressure. It is kind of saying like you have to be perfect, as you know (it is) always difficult to be perfect,'' he said.
"It is a challenge that is exciting at the same time. Because now your goal is this high instead of this high and I meet the challenge head on and I think our team will too. Very excited for this season."
Despite those concerns, Akins is looking forward to the new season because the league is loaded with high-profile point guards to play against him.
"(I have) heard most about Kim Seung-hyun of the Daegu Orions. I have seen couple of his games. He is a good player,'' said Akin, who resembles San Antonio Spurs' French guard Tony Parker.
"The other point guard is Yang Dong-geun for the national team and the Ulsan Mobis. Joo Hee-jung, who was traded for the SK Knights, is good too.
"There are some good point guards in this league that I very excited to play (against)."

Goals in KBL
Like every first-year player, Akins seeks to become the best rookie in the league, and furthermore, contribute to his team's success.
"My short-term goal is to be successful. My goal right now is ― even though I will be the oldest rookie in the KBL ― I want the rookie of the year (award),'' he said.
"And I want our team to win the championship and Ha Seung-jin and Choo Seung-kyun to get the Most Valuable Player (MVP). I just want our team to do well and to dominate the KBL.''
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, another Korean-American, visited Korea after becoming the Super Bowl MVP in 2006 and worked for ethnic minorities in South Korea.
And Akins wants to do similar jobs in his mother's native country.
"I hope the way I play and my personality just have influenced on the Korean society and the KBL,'' he said.

ksw@koreatimes.co.kr

going the philippine route. i wonder if they will also have kor-shams?

[lyc70]

Center with dominating power is only team hope who can lead us to assume champion. Do you agree?

[nardy]

o-oh! future headache for toroman....

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news...136_50954.html







going the philippine route. i wonder if they will also have kor-shams?

If ever there would be shams they would do it with a very big risk and sacrifice as they would pass the hard route. To be a South Korean citizen you must get yourself immersed with the Korean Language and Culture which has a corresponding examination both written and oral. Another thing is that each Male Korean Citizen is required to go into two years of military service.

Military service is an obligation for every Korean man whose body functions are not limited by any physical disabilities or whose mental status is not unstable or potentially dangerous.

And it is different from the Philippines CMT or CAT because for those who does not know North Korea and South Korea is still at a state of war and it was only paused with an armistice signed 27 July 1953.

I do wonder if our Fil-Foreigners would agree to be exposed at the war front in Mindanao as the Koreans at a time are required to go on guard at the 38th Parallel.

[paolylo]

I do wonder if our Fil-Foreigners would agree to be exposed at the war front in Mindanao as the Koreans at a time are required to go on guard at the 38th Parallel.

perhaps, but our AFP has a height restriction for recruits. anyone taller than 6'4 is considered a liability in the battlefield.

[cod3breaker]

perhaps, but our AFP has a height restriction for recruits. anyone taller than 6'4 is considered a liability in the battlefield.

Asi Taulava with m249's on both hands.

[ctongco]

Asi Taulava with m249's on both hands.

That's a scary sight.

[reamily]

If ever there would be shams they would do it with a very big risk and sacrifice as they would pass the hard route. To be a South Korean citizen you must get yourself immersed with the Korean Language and Culture which has a corresponding examination both written and oral. Another thing is that each Male Korean Citizen is required to go into two years of military service.

Military service is an obligation for every Korean man whose body functions are not limited by any physical disabilities or whose mental status is not unstable or potentially dangerous.

And it is different from the Philippines CMT or CAT because for those who does not know North Korea and South Korea is still at a state of war and it was only paused with an armistice signed 27 July 1953.

I do wonder if our Fil-Foreigners would agree to be exposed at the war front in Mindanao as the Koreans at a time are required to go on guard at the 38th Parallel.

And Ha Seung Jin is no excemption because he never won at least a silver medal in asian games to be excempted(I have read from an asian games article bout korea)

[nardy]

Pinoy claims success formula
SPORTING CHANCE By Joaquin Henson (The Philippine Star) Updated September 18, 2009 12:00 AM

A former St. Benilde assistant coach now working for American Airlines in Chicago is convinced he has concocted the formula that will bring the Philippines back on top of Asian basketball without naturalizing foreigners.



Ronel Leuterio, 46, may be a dreamer living in fantasyland but in a recent e-mail, he said he’s willing to fly to Manila at his own expense for the opportunity to present his system to the SBP.

“I wouldn’t bother you if I know my system wouldn’t work,” he wrote. “All I need is a chance to present my system. The SBP won’t spend a single cent on me. I’ll go to Manila on my own. I’m convinced more than ever that we can beat the other Asian countries. I will break down every possession into its minute detail just to show it can be done.”

Leuterio traces his roots to Bacoor and Las Pinas. He is married with one daughter in college and migrated to the US in 2005. His claim to fame is a stint as assistant coach with St. Benilde when the Blazers won the NCAA crown in 2000. He was also head coach of Las Pinas College when the varsity won the NCR intercollegiate championship in 2002, beating NCAA and UAAP teams in the process. Additionally, Leuterio was head coach of the Ateneo de Davao high school team that placed third in the National Intersecondary Championships in Legazpi City in 2003 and the Milo Passarelle squad that topped the 2003 National Championships in Cebu, beating the San Beda Red Cubs.

Leuterio described his system as “innovative and out of the box.” He said he developed a system that is suitable to the Filipino style and learned to integrate the lessons picked up from coaching clinics conducted by Larry Brown, Hubie Brown, Gregg Popovich, Jeff Van Gundy, Lawrence Frank, Avery Johnson, Flip Saunders, Mike Fratello, Chuck Daly, Roy Williams, Jim Calhoun, Tom Izzo, Jim Boeheim, John Calipari, Billy Donovan, Lou Carnesecca and others.

But Leuterio said Pete Carril, Bill Carmody, Vance Walberg, John Beilein and Mike D’Antoni provided his inspiration.

* * *

“I scoured all the possible materials I could get about the Princeton offense, taped all the games of Georgetown, West Virginia, Air Force (during Jeff Bzdelik’s time), Richmond and Northwestern,” he added. “With my computer software, I was able to break down game tapes. I then got bits and pieces of what Walberg, Beilein, Rick Pitino and others were doing. My offensive system has now evolved into what I call the spread offense – it has what I call the five to 25 principle.”

Leuterio said to be competitive internationally, Filipinos must be taught how to play the game differently.

“The offensive system starting from transition to the halfcourt sets are all designed to offset the height and heft disadvantages of Filipino players,” he continued. “The offense goes out of the traditional way where the guard calls out plays. Here, the hub – normally the tallest player – just positions himself in a particular spot, based on the defense the other team is playing and the other four players know exactly what to do. There is no structured movement. All movements are based on read and react principles. It’s harder to scout because there are no signs indicating what play they are running. It’s poetry in motion and I guarantee it can easily flow 94 feet with a lot of player and ball movement.”

Leuterio said Carrill’s concept of the smart taking from the strong inspired him to conceive of a system, both offensively and defensively, where weaker and smaller players are able to compete with taller and stronger opponents as long as they are fundamentally sound and play hard and intelligently.

“My system deviates from the traditional one, two, three, four and five positions because all five players can dribble, pass and shoot, hence no more need for a point guard or a shooting guard,” he went on. “It is an equal opportunity offense predicated on proper spacing. Defensively, I’ve created something that I know will disrupt the flow of the offense, not the usual man-to-man full-court press which I believe runs counter to the notion of limiting the number of possessions but a defensive system that will consume a lot of time in executing the offense. My two primary defenses are what I call the Fence and the Mirage. They are designed to complement the offensive system. To me, the fundamentals are the great equalizers. Unbelievable amount of time should be given to master the basics of the game.”

Leuterio said he is a PhD in his own little way – passionate, hungry and driven.

* * *

“I have no hidden agenda,” he stressed. “Let’s have our own identity on how we play basketball. Believe in the idea that given the proper training, exposure and the right system, an all-Filipino team coached by a Filipino will eventually bring us back to the Olympics. My only dream is to come up with a style of play which we can proudly call our own.”

Leuterio said his painstaking research going over hundreds of game tapes and attending numerous NBA and NCAA coaching seminars is triggered by an unflinching love for the game.

“Basketball has been good to me and it has given me my identity and who I am right now,” he said. “I want to repay the game with something that even though I may no longer be in this world, people will remember me for my work. As the late Robert Kennedy said, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope lives on and the dream shall never die.”

Is Leuterio for real? Is his system workable? He has exchanged e-mails with SBP executive director Noli Eala, explaining his concept of Filipino basketball. Leuterio said Filipinos can’t play the same way that Europeans and Americans do because they’re just not tall enough but with his approach, there is a way to innovate – or stagnate forever.

[OjiesIII]

Two Filipino-Aussies to beef up Gilas
Sports
Written by Joel Orellana / Reporter
Friday, 18 September 2009 03:24

THE Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) added two Filipino-Australians to its developmental pool as it continues to work on its goal to form the strongest team possible for the 2011 International Basketball Federation (Fiba)-Asia tournament.

SBP executive director Noli Eala said on Thursday Sep Salinas and Matt Scheptig will arrive on Sunday to try out for the Smart Gilas Pilipinas national team.

“This is SBP’s continuing effort to form the most competitive team for future international tournaments,” Eala said in a statement.

Salinas and Shceptig will join Japeth Aguilar and American CJ Giles and the country’s top amateur standouts in an exhibition game against the Singapore Slingers on September 23 in Singapore. There were no other details that were immediately made available, except that they are based in Melbourne.

Aguilar had his first practice with Smart Gilas on Thursday at the PhilSports Arena, almost 20 days since announcing his decision to play for the national team instead of honoring his commitment with Burger King, the team that drafted him No. 1 in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) in August.

In his Twitter account, Smart Gilas aspirant Chris Tiu said: “Had a fun and productive training session today with Smart Gilas team! So fun to have Japeth and CJ Giles together as your big men!”

Eala refused to comment on whether the 22-year-old Aguilar has finally decided to play for the Smart Gilas team and sign a contract with them.

But according to Burger King head coach Yeng Guiao, team manager Lito Alvarez just allowed Aguilar to do scrimmages with the SBP’s national team while they are still trying to find a solution to the issue.

Aguilar, who played for Guiao in the Fiba-Asia tournament in Tianjin, China, turned down Burger King’s three-year, P8.7-million offer.

The PBA is still discussing possible sanctions on Aguilar

------------------------------------------

Any Info on this two fil-aussie players???

[weward]

maybe that leuterio guy should coach the u18 team first.
so that at young age of our small players,they could already learn how to play against bigs...

[TrueBluePinoy]

From the name of the article I thought he concucted a formula that will make our players grow even taller.

[tamagurl87]

From the name of the article I thought he concucted a formula that will make our players grow even taller.

that is what i thought5 also...
i thought i'd have to do a little digging on my brain on how the growth hormones work

[rocketstar47]

,,mark andaya with a scary face

[chimeara27]

From the name of the article I thought he concucted a formula that will make our players grow even taller.

I think what Philippine team needs is a natural big man on the center who can do rebound and score at the same time.

[chimeara27]

What does the Philippine team need to is a big man on the center. We are been dominated by other bigger countries such as Iran or Lebanon.

[Peter Sy of Global Fusion]

Mitsui, Miyagi and rukawa will kill the smart gilas

[reamily]

btw congrats to our Lebanese friends(Khalid, Gazara and co.) to that good win against Iran see you in the Asian Cup guys hopefully sooner in Jones Cup we are sending a brand new (some say bagong luma) team lol

[reamily]

Japhet there is someone in Asia who is softer than you. His name is Choi Jin Soo. Now I know why he was cut in the Korea team not once but twice. Sure he is agile and can shoot but he is not as athletic as you and the guy is afraid of contact

[nardong_putik]

Pinoy claims success formula

Intersting!

But the question is do you think it will work??

You need to prove yourself first and everything will be a myth.