• Home
  • FIBA
  • EuroLeague
  • NBA/NCAA
  • National Leagues
  • Podcast
  • Features
  • More
  • Contact

Grimag

  • FIBA
  • EuroLeague
  • NBA/NCAA
  • National Leagues
  • Podcast
  • Features
  • More

Stream of consciousness runs through Philippines, Serbia, Iran, Texas

April 5, 2010

Currently on tour in Serbia is a first-division club from the Philippines, Manila-based Smart Gilas Pilipinas. Smart Gilas has recorded one win thus far, taking a 91-84 victory last Thursday over Super Fund, a team that will be promoted to the Serbian first division for 2010-11.

The Serbian tour is an effort by Smart Gilas to “familiarize itself with the European style of basketball RP Serbian coach Rajko Toroman is espousing.”

This appears, at least based on Toroman’s CV, to be an especially prescient way to train a team. Beginning with a stint as assistant coach for Team Yugoslavia in 1991, Toroman has since run up an incredible career with stops (and championship titles) all over the world. Toroman has coached clubs KK Spartak, MyGuide Amsterdam, Keravnos and even Debreceni VSC. Perhaps the greatest single success Toroman has seen was in international play: As coach of the then-unheralded Iran team buoyed by Hamed Haddadi, Toroman helped put that country’s basketball program on the map once and for all by destroying nearly all comers in the 2007 FIBA Asia Championships.

Meanwhile, back in the present, Gilas also managed to take OKK Belgrade to the buzzer in a 80-79 game on Friday night.

Claimed one Philippines-based media outlet, “[Smart Gilas] looked headed for a draw when a Serbian referee called a controversial foul against the Filipinos.”

Vrsac Hemofarm beat Smart Gilas, 98-67, on Saturday in the capitol city; Gilas finishes the tour with a match against – you guessed it – Partizan Belgrade.

Smart Gilas players and personnel seem to be pleased with the team’s results thus far; however, the Philippines team took a bit of a hit over the Easter weekend when one key player, i.e. an unnamed American player for which a roster spot is reserved, remained unfilled.

That player was thought to be Dwayne Jones heading into the weekend, but that thought was dampened when rumors out of Arizona reckoned the D-League big man would be headed to the Phoenix Suns on at least a 10-day contract as part of Steve Nash’s boys’ playoff push.

Jones ended up with an impressive line of 17.6 points, 16 rebounds (really), and 1.8 blocks per game with the Austin Toros in NBDL play this season and saw NBA action for a brief while when Shaquille O’Neal fell to injury after the All-Star Game. Jones also scored one co-Player of The Week award in March.

Though the Suns have yet to officially announce Jones as a member of the team, this would appear to be a foregone conclusion; Smart Gilas captain Chris Tiu tweeted just today (Philippines time) that “It looks like we just lost our prospective import, Dwayne Jones, to the Phoenix Suns.”

And so Smart Gilas’ quest for a big man continues … hey, isn’t Gheorghe Muresan available?

<p style=”text-align: center;”><a href=”http://www.euroleague.net/” target=”_blank”><img title=”Euroleague TV banner” src=”http://bietemp.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Euroleague-TV-banner.jpg” alt=”” width=”300″ height=”70″ /></a></p>

Apr 5, 2010ballineurope
Powered by Sidelines
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
This post was published on April 5, 2010
BiE: Break in Easter weekendFor Phil Jackson: What to expect from Bennett Salvatore
You Might Also Like
 
European basketball: "something between college basketball and NBA"
 
One thing you didn't know about Marco Belinelli

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

ballineurope
13 years ago More, NBA/NCAA2007 FIBA Asia Championship, Austin Toros, Chris Tiu, Cleveland Cavaliers, D league, Debreceni VSC, Dwayne Jones, Gheorghe Muresan, Hamed Haddadi, Keravnos, KK Spartak, MyGuide Amsterdam, NBA, NBDL, OKK Belgrade, Partizan Belgrade, Philippines, Phoenix Suns, Rajko Toroman, Serbia, Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Nash, Super Fund, Team Iran, Team Yugoslavia, Vrsac Hemofarm
Recent Posts
Markkanen the highlight of Europe’s stunning NBA All Star haul
4 days ago
Winning is a habit and Bonn’s players like it
6 days ago
Ireland Men’s Super League basketball preview: Games to watch in Week 14
9 days ago
Categories
Recent Posts
Wembanyama’s wild run
Markkanen the highlight of Europe’s stunning NBA All Star haul
Winning is a habit and Bonn’s players like it
Tags
EuroLeagueNBAYouTubeCSKA MoscowFC BarcelonaReal MadridFIBAOlympiacosZalgiris KaunasPanathinaikosACBSpainMaccabi Tel AvivTeam SpainRicky RubioLos Angeles LakersMontepaschi SienaPartizan BelgradeLithuaniaPau GasolTeam LithuaniaGermanyItalyTurkeyIrelandTeam FranceCaja Laboral BaskoniaLietuvos RytasFenerbahce ÜlkerJuan Carlos NavarroGreeceSan Antonio SpursTony ParkerFranceMinnesota TimberwolvesDirk Nowitzkibasketball highlightsTeam RussiaSerbiaTeam USAALBA BerlinEuroBasket 2011EuroCupBrose Baskets BambergDallas Mavericks
Share
0
Facebook
ABOUT
BallinEurope.com was founded in September 2007 by Christophe Ney (who now runs the excellent scouting-themed website European Prospects) and Tobias Seitz, both then bloggers for FIBA.com with over 10 years’ worth of experience in the professional basketball world each. The mission then was to “provide a very unique perspective of Basketball in and about Europe.”
Most Commented
Why Andrei Kirilenko and CSKA Moscow must win the Euroleague
11 years ago
180 Comments
Euroleague Transfers Table 2008/2009
14 years ago
168 Comments
A week in highlights: Spanish block party, mighty Milos, Utah rap and some dude dunking in L.A.
12 years ago
139 Comments
Archives
Get In Touch

Email: emmetryan@gmail.com

Name: Emmet Ryan

2014 © BallinEurope. Join JCI Dublin