I watched all the games of Powerade Team Pilipinas in the recently held FIBA Asia Olympic qualifying games and it seems that the team has all the potential of being competitive because it has good shooters.
But I think the team is utterly handicapped by lack of set plays, bad ball handling and poor free throw shooting. I believe these PBA players have become victims of a glamourized sports organization which only enhanced their popularity but not their individual skill and team play. Compared to the quality of play exhibited by Loyzaga, Badion, Carbonell, Mumar and the great Filipino players of old, the Powerade team reveals a pathetic retrogression of basketball in this country. The players needed a lot of drills in basic ball passing and catching and making free throws. Set plays are almost absent and there were very few screening plays to a free a three-point-shooter. I have watched lots of NBA games during my five years stay in the U.S. where players have perfected the art of shaking off their guard or doing a fade away shot out of reach of the defender. In contrast, this team Powerade team plays amazingly different. The players do a lot of dribbling in and around the defended area and almost always lose the ball, force a shot or make a weak pass. I thought it would have been better if the players did more perimeter passing and less dribbling and then do a three-point shot with the help of a body screen. At least the chances of losing the ball is lower and scoring higher. That's why every time I see the diminutive Filipino point guard dribble into "enemy territory" at a very fast clip and then lose the ball, I can only agree that it will take some time before a Filipino player plays in one of the NBA teams.
But I think the team is utterly handicapped by lack of set plays, bad ball handling and poor free throw shooting. I believe these PBA players have become victims of a glamourized sports organization which only enhanced their popularity but not their individual skill and team play. Compared to the quality of play exhibited by Loyzaga, Badion, Carbonell, Mumar and the great Filipino players of old, the Powerade team reveals a pathetic retrogression of basketball in this country. The players needed a lot of drills in basic ball passing and catching and making free throws. Set plays are almost absent and there were very few screening plays to a free a three-point-shooter. I have watched lots of NBA games during my five years stay in the U.S. where players have perfected the art of shaking off their guard or doing a fade away shot out of reach of the defender. In contrast, this team Powerade team plays amazingly different. The players do a lot of dribbling in and around the defended area and almost always lose the ball, force a shot or make a weak pass. I thought it would have been better if the players did more perimeter passing and less dribbling and then do a three-point shot with the help of a body screen. At least the chances of losing the ball is lower and scoring higher. That's why every time I see the diminutive Filipino point guard dribble into "enemy territory" at a very fast clip and then lose the ball, I can only agree that it will take some time before a Filipino player plays in one of the NBA teams.
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