There remains no definite plan for how Gilas Pilipinas will approach a grueling 2022 that features several basketball activities throughout the year.
A stacked schedule awaits the Nationals, since two major tournaments — namely the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup and the 31st Southeast Asian Games — have been moved from their original schedule this year due to the pandemic.
The continental showpiece in Jakarta will now take place from August 17-29, while the biennial regional meet in Hanoi will play out in July.
Aside from those two, Gilas is also gearing up for the prestigious 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China on September 10-25.
Then there are also the windows of the FIBA World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers, which actually commences this November.
So what will the lineup for 2022 look like? Will Gilas split into two teams if the schedule becomes tighter?
“Honestly, that discussion hasn’t taken place, and there hasn’t been a final decision. I don’t think I’m the final arbiter on that, although I hope I have input,” head coach Tab Baldwin told Radyo5’s Power and Play, Saturday.
But if he had his way, he would want to maximize the whole year by honing a team that could represent the country in the 2023 World Cup. After all, the current program is geared towards the global conclave.
The present-day Gilas, under Baldwin, has undergone many battles together since 2020, beginning with the Asia Cup Qualifiers. There, they swept all six of their games — including two wins over rivals and powerhouse Korea.
“From my perspective, it makes sense to use the entire schedule to continue to develop the team that we expect to put into the 2023 World Cup,” offered the American-Kiwi mentor. “That will be my hope.”
Still, Baldwin remains open to other possible ideas on tackling the year, with discussions taking place soon.
“If somebody makes a solid argument for a different approach, let’s say the bosses and everybody, they’re very determined to win gold in the Asian Games and they wanna use veteran players. If that’s the goal, then we will adjust.
“We will take into consideration all of that and make our decisions based on that,” said the 63-year-old bench tactician.
“Because if we take a young team, maybe gold is not a realistic objective. But maybe we can put together a stronger roster that can do that. These are discussions that will certainly take place,” he furthered.
Also, Baldwin keeps the program’s doors open for the possibility of adding PBA players into the national team pool soon. Gilas hasn’t played with players from the pro league since the Asia Cup Qualifiers’ first window last year.
“As far as the PBA, I think it’s just an ongoing conversation,” he said. “I don’t think the particulars around that discussion have changed.
“We would certainly love the involvement of players that we would like to have in our environment, but it does come with the conditions of a significant amount of training time,” Baldwin continued.
“And I guess the crazy world that we live in, that may become possible, you know, because of COVID situations even going into 2022. It may not. So we can’t really project at this point.”
