by Waylon Galvez
FIBA Oceania Executive Director David Crocker is a big fan of Philippine basketball that he likes to see the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) and the PBA form an exciting but formidable team for this year’s FIBA World Cup in China.
Crocker said it’s a joy and it’s exciting to watch the Philippine brand of basketball where guards normally dominate the game.
“What really interests me is, what I’ve been hearing is the great collaboration between the PBA and the SBP with the sense of ‘we want the best national team that we can possibly at the World Cup’,” said Crocker last Wednesday night as he watched the PBA games at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as guest of SBP president Al Panlilio.
“From FIBA and from any basketball fan, that’s pretty exciting to think that they assemble the best talent for the Philippines and go play. From what I’ve seen, (Philippine style) it’s quick and it’s physical. Shooting is pretty special to watch. In different places, big men dominate. But it’s not the case here. As a basketball fan it’s fun to watch to see the ball get up and down the floor.”
“It’s always good to see the guards control the game as well,” added Crocker.
The national team Gilas Pilipinas of coach Yeng Guiao is in Group D of the FIBA World Cup with Serbia, Italy and Angola set August 31 to September 11. This is the second straight time that the Philippines has qualified in the World Cup after its stint in the 2014 World Cup in Spain – the country’s first in 42 years.
