Fresh off the heels of a 24th place finish in the FIBA World Cup, there will hardly be any rest for Gilas Pilipinas as they begin preparations for the Asian Games slated to open on Sept. 23 in Hangzhou, China.
On Tuesday, the Philippine Olympic Committee released its list of the 396 Philippine athletes competing in the quadrennial meet, including the 12 for men's 5x5 basketball.
The list was submitted ahead of the July 25 deadline set by the organizing committee, and the 5x5 basketball lineup still has Chot Reyes as the head coach despite him recently stepping down, seven players from the World Cup team, two naturalized players, and three members of the gold medal-winning team at the Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh earlier this year.
The PBA is set to hold a press conference on Thursday, where it is believed they will announce the final lineup, even as POC president Bambol Tolentino has said it will be very difficult to make changes to the list.
Obviously, at this point, there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the final roster for both coaches and players. If it is indeed difficult to make changes at this point, then the lineup already submitted -- including the coaches -- is it.
Who can step up with almost no foreign-based players?
Save for Kiefer Ravena, there are no players based in Japan, United States or South Korea.
This means the team will be without its two leading scorers in the World Cup -- Jordan Clarkson and Dwight Ramos -- and its young twin towers in Kai Sotto and AJ Edu.
However, all the 12 players have played for Reyes at one time or another over the last year, so familiarity won't be an issue -- assuming a new coach can't be appointed anymore.
Without Clarkson and Ramos, Justin Brownlee looms as the biggest offensive weapon for Gilas. He carried a lot of the offensive load for Gilas in Europe and China, against taller teams than they'll face in Hangzhou.
June Mar Fajardo could also have a good Asian Games. He performed relatively well in the World Cup, averaging 6.0 PPG on 65% shooting and just five shots per game. Expect him to get more touches in Hangzhou.
Ange Kouame, if he's 100% healthy, and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser can replace some of the rebounding and shot-blocking that Sotto and Edu provided. RR Pogoy and CJ Perez can hopefully bounce back from sub-par World Cup performances and provide the offensive firepower that they're known for in the PBA.
If not Chot, then who?
Assuming Reyes can still be replaced, and Tim Cone sticks to his "if Chot goes, I go" condition, there are still some candidates who can slot into the head coaching spot on such short notice.
If not seamlessly, then at least with minimal adjustments.
Meralco Bolts active consultant Nenad Vucinic is a name that has been thrown around a lot in the last few days, and right now he makes the most sense. He handled one window earlier this year, he knows the PBA players, and he has extensive experience coaching the international game.
If continuity from the World Cup team is the lead consideration, and Reyes and Cone are out, then Jong Uichico is next in line.
Uichico is respected by the players and is an underrated tactician. But he might also decline an invitation out of respect for Reyes.
And here's a wild card: Rajko Toroman, who's been in town since last month enjoying World Cup action and catching up with old friends both locally and internationally.
He's officially signed up as a consultant for the Converge FiberXers and the College of St. Benilde Blazers, but that shouldn't stop him from taking on the job on an interim basis.
The players know and respect him and he also knows the intricacies of both Philippine basketball and the international game.
Could Gilas actually gun for the gold medal?
Philippines last won an Asian Games gold medal in men's basketball way back in 1962.
Their highest finish since then has been a silver medal in 1990, the year the PBA first lent its players to the national team.
The last time the country medaled was a bronze in 1998 won by the Centennial Team. In 2018, a team reinforced by the core of Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and backstopped by Clarkson finished fifth.
For this edition of the Asian Games, there's a path to the semifinals.
Gilas got a break being grouped with Jordan, Bahrain and Thailand. Of the three, Jordan might pose the biggest challenge but should still be beatable.
Sweeping their group is crucial to book top position and gain a direct ticket to the quarterfinals.
Assuming they achieve this, they will meet the winner of the playoff between the no. 2 team of Group A and the no. 3 team of Group B -- likely Kazakhstan vs. Chinese Taipei. Both teams are also beatable.
Should they reach the semis, either Japan or South Korea likely awaits.
Either team will give Gilas a tough outing, and if they pull through, the hosts will most likely await in the gold medal match.
Now, China has never lost the gold medal in men's 5x5 basketball every time they have been the Asian Games hosts. Plus, the Chinese are very likely still smarting from the 21-point beatdown they received in Manila.
It will be very tough if Gilas gets that far, but who knows? There's a first time for everything.
What does the long-term future hold?
Beyond the Asian Games, Toroman might also be a candidate for a long-term appointment. He handled the first iteration of the Gilas program, plus he's not connected to any national team at the moment.
Vucinic could also draw consideration since he's already based here.
One other name for the permanent Gilas coaching position that I've been hearing more and more over the last week: Jimmy Alapag.
Given his recent promotion to the Sacramento Kings, it might be a long shot, as it's hard to see him giving up his dream NBA gig and move back to Manila. But then again, many national team coaches with NBA jobs -- Mike Brown with Nigeria and Nick Nurse with Canada, to name a few -- have been able to balance this work arrangement.
The Olympic Qualifying Tournament is the first major outing next year, scheduled for the first week of July. The 2023-24 PBA season and the Japan B.League seasons could be over by then, paving the way for players in those competitions to reinforce the team once more.
But the new coach may want to go full-blast with a youth movement, in which case he could form a pool of top collegiate standouts.
Either way, the new coach will have to be given free rein by the SBP and its stakeholders to run his program.
They must also be patient with him and allow him to make mistakes along the way. Philippine basketball has fallen behind its Asian peers, and it's time to catch up again.