Caidic, Uichico believe RP Gilas cage program on right track

Allan Caidic and Jong Uichico, both products of the fabled Northern Consolidated-backed Philippine men’s basketball team, are two success stories in the sport. Ron Jacobs helped mold Caidic as a player and Uichico as a coach in the 80s where the Philippines has been dominating the Asian region. When it comes to outside shooting, Caidic was incomparable. He was a part of the last all-amateur squad that won the FIBA-Asia Championship (formerly Asian Basketball Confederation) in 1986. He was also a key figure in the Nationals’ 1985 title conquest in the William Jones Cup against United States. Known as “The Triggerman" in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), he retired holding the record for most number of three-point shots in a single game with 17 and most number of points scored with 79. But aside from his individual success, the former University of the East standout knows the value of representing the RP team. He believes The Smart Gilas-RP squad composed of amateur standouts and backed by sportsman/businessman Manny V. Pangilinan, will succeed given the proper time and training. The team is also handled by Serbian coach Rajko Toroman, who gave Iran the FIBA-Asia title in 2007. The Smart Gilas team is composed of Chris Tiu, Rabeh Al-Husseini, Mark Barroca, Ryan Buenafe, JR Cawaling, Ogie Menor, Rico Maierhofer, Dylan Ababou, JV Casio, RJ Jazul, Aldrech Ramos, Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar. The team is also hoping to get a naturalized player in order to beef up its inside presence. Caidic said the way the team was formed reminded him on how the NCC-backed squad was created. Jacobs helped put up the National team that is composed of amateur standouts Caidic, Samboy Lim and Hector Calma, along with naturalized players Chip Engelland, Jeff Moore and Dennis Still. “The Smart Gilas team has similarities to our former team in the NCC. We had Ron Jacobs as our foreign coach and they have Toroman as mentor. They have a good backer in Mr. Manny Pangilinan, the same thing that we had Boss Danding as our godfather before. The players were also handpicked as the same to us during our amateur days," said Caidic, one of the PBA’s 25 Greatest Players and regarded as the deadliest shooter who played for the RP five. For Uichico, preparation is an important ingredient in competing internationally. The multi-titled PBA mentor believes the best talents are in the PBA, but they cannot prepare long enough in forming up a solid and cohesive unit. The Smart-Gilas team, on the other hand, has lots of time to prepare. “How can we come up with a solid team if we can only practice once or twice a week? I mean the United States men’s basketball team has to prepare for three years and still lost some games tayo pa kaya," said Uichico in jest. “But we also have to look at the factor whether our players can compete against teams from the Middle East, which have become the new powerhouse squads in Asia. So it would be a combination of talent and preparation for us to become successful in international competitions," he added. – GMANews.TV