Gilas part ways with naturalized prospect Samspon

Smart Gilas Pilipinas’ quest for a dependable big man continues. This came after Serbian coach Rajko Toroman, tasked to steer the RP developmental team to the 2012 London Olympics, decided to explore other options in hope of landing the right foreign player to naturalize that will help solve Gilas’ problem in the middle. Toroman said Gilas needs to search for a new player for naturalization after he gave top candidate Jamaal Sampson a negative assessment following the team’s third place finish in the recent Dubai Invitational Championship.

Toroman, who helped Iran win the 2007 FIBA-Asia crown to earn a spot in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, said Sampson possesses the skills Gilas needs but the 6-foot-11 big man’s attitude is questionable. "He is good player, he is tall, strong and a good rebounder which is exactly what we need. But the other things are not good," said Toroman, who was joined by Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) executive director Noli Eala and team captain Chris Tiu in Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum in Manila. Sampson, who replaced CJ Giles and signed a one-year contract with the team, played limited minutes during the Dubai tournament claiming to be injured. "He (Sampson) was injured, he is injured and he will always be injured. I have said that a player needs to sacrifice for this team. If you can’t handle the pain or small problem, you cannot contribute and lift the team to the level I want," said Toroman. "This is a young team that plays with passion and heart and they can’t carry this kind of attitude of Sampson." Tiu said that the team was greatly demoralized in their first game against Syria when Sampson decided against playing. But Gilas bounced back in the tournament by winning four straight games to make it to the semifinals even with little help from Sampson. The team, playing all-Filipino, eventually got back at opening-game tormentor Syria to claim third place in the tournament that featured squads with at least three American imports. Eala, who is set to talk with Sampson Wednesday, said that Gilas needs someone who can show the same emotions that other players bring in to the squad. "This team is an emotional team and thrives on a lot of spirit. Gilas members have been very very close because they practice and travel together most of the time. This is why when somebody comes into the team and is not a positive influence, it becomes also a big factor or obstruction to the locals," said Eala. No names have been mentioned as Sampson’s possible replacement yet. Since the search for the right candidate for naturalization resumes and the process may take quite sometime to finish, Gilas might play without an American center in time for the Guangzhou Asian Games in November. SBP hopes to remedy the situation by tapping a PBA player to beef up Gilas with Toroman mentioning Asi Taulava as someone who could have helped the team win the Dubai crown had he suited up with the squad. But the main focus is to further expose Gilas especially big guys Greg Slaughter, Jason Ballesteros, Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Japeth Aguilar to tougher international tournaments to further hone their skills. – GMANews.TV