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| courtesy of: fiba.com |
It's a known fact around the Philippine archipelago that Gilas captain Jimmy Alapag may have played his final game against Senegal. The question that lies ahead of the SBP is: Who can replace The Mighty Mouse? Who can duplicate his outside shooting? His knack for the big shots? His passing proficiency? And more importantly, who can emulate his leadership and attitude? Who will be Gilas Pilipinas' captain?
Sure, Jayson Castro William or LA Tenorio can (and most probably will) replace Jimmy at the point. William is the Best Point Guard in Asia, as shown in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championships. But is he capable of leading this squad at a young age? Can he take and make the game-winners? We have seen him "choke" during the Argentina game, where he miffed a potential game-winner by double-touching at the peak of the jump.
Tenorio, on the other hand, is accustomed to the role of a leader. He's the primary point guard in Barangay Ginebra. He can make those buzzer-beaters. He'll pass the ball like a maestro. The question is: Is he willing to take up the cudgels as a captain? Can he lead an elite group composed of the best players in the league?
Outside of the current squad, we have more players to select from. We have Jayvee Casio and Mark Barroca from Alaska and San Mig, respectively, both of which have represented us with the rest of Gilas 1.0. Then there's Alex Cabagnot, Mike Cortez, Chris Ross, and a lot more. With regards to the youngsters, we'll see Kevin Alas (part of the Philippine cadet pool), Stanley Pringle, the highly touted point guard out of Penn State, and Chris Banchero, a San Miguel (ABL, not the PBA team) team member who was instrumental to their success.
However, one question will still linger around, even if you take in account their skill. Can they lead the now-revitalized Philippine team?
We won't know for sure who will be the Philippines prized point guard, but it will be exciting to see the battle for that spot. (GS)
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