THE team manager of Smart Gilas-Pilipinas sees a more cohesive and better prepared national squad once the second edition of this well-funded and celebrated unit is finally formed within the year.

Speaking before the PSA Forum yesterday at Shakey’s U.N. Ave, Butch Antonio said the mutual support extended by the different cage bodies, especially the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), makes the formation of the team less complicated.

“We hope to make the Smart Gilas 2 program better than the first one. It’s more exciting now because more group and bodies are participating,” said Antonio.

Prior to the start of the 37th season of the PBA, commissioner Chito Salud acceded to lend a 16-man pool available for the national team.

Together with the pro cagers, a similar number of players from the collegiate rank, which Antonio referred to as the `cadet group’, will be added to the pool from where the next batch of Smart Gilas members would come.

“Unlike last year when we still had to approach the PBA and asked for some of their players, this time, sila na talaga `yung lumapit and offered their help. Mas mapapadali `yung working relationship ng team na mabubuo,” Antonio added.

The national team manager also said in the weekly forum presented by Smart, PAGCOR, and Shakey’s, that four active coaches in Chot Reyes, Ryan Gregorio, Norman Black, and Jong Uichico make up a four-man pool who are likely candidates as the next Smart Gilas coach.

Their respective work in both the PBA and collegiate league, however, has put off the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) from naming one of them as head coach on a full-time basis.

“Well, maybe save for coach Jong, the rest ay may kanya-kanyang teams na hinahawakan, Chot with Talk `N Text, Ryan with Meralco, and Norman with Ateneo. Mahirap namang tanggalin `yung focus nila doon at the moment,” stressed the national team manager.

Uichico recently gave up his long-time job as part of the San Miguel group’s coaching staff to become an assistant with the national team, and consultant with Meralco at the same time.

Antonio also said the SBP no longer renewed the contract of Serbian mentor Rajko Toroman to give local coaches again a shot at handling the national team.

“We’re grateful for what coach Rajko had done to Philippine basketball, but the thrust of the SBP right now is to allow Filipinos to be at the helm of the national team again.”         

Antonio said SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan, vice president Ricky Vargas, and executive director Sonny Barrios are expected to sit down with him and the rest of the Smart Gilas team hopefully, within the week, to start discussing the frame and formation of the squad set to see action in next year’s FIBA-Asia qualifier to the World Basketball Championship in Spain.

While it may have come short of its ambitious bid to make it to this year’s London Olympics, Antonio is proud of what the original Smart Gilas team accomplished in the three years it existed.

He said the country was ranked 63rd by FIBA when the Gilas program was first started in 2008, and by the time the team finished fourth in last year’s Olympic qualifying meet – the first time the national squad made it to the semis in 24 years – we were finally ranked 45th.