Coach Rajko Toroman's Team Pilipinas wins First China-Asean CBO tournament

Oh yes! The recently formed Team Pilipinas led by Rajko Toroman showed its potential by beating China 76-72 in the First China-Asean CBO invitational tournament. The Philippine contingent is composed of amateurs and college standouts showed enough skill to beat a team which some handles in interbasket forum said was a professional team in China (Lin Ning). So far no updates yet from Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas website but here is an account from gameface.ph:

Philippines won 76-72 according to Sports radio.... According to the text, we we're in control, we led all throughout the game by as much as 15 pts. China tied the game at the end, but the pinoy ballers showed their heart and poise at the end game.

The game result is confirmed by Xinhua

The team is composed of:
FEU’s Mac Baracael, Mark Baroca and JR Cawaling
UE’s Marcy Arellano
UP’s Martin Reyes and Magi Sison,
San Beda College’s Ogie Menor
UST’s Dylan Ababou,
UV's6-foot-11 slotman Greg Slaughter
Oklahoma City’s Terrel Theophile
Joey Deas of Rockhurst University in Kansas

Great news indeed! Man, I think new breed of Filipino basketball players are more gutsy than their predecessors. This is just the beginning. In fact, this SBP Team Pilipinas' line up isn't the strongest yet as players from Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines champion Ateneo and National Champion De La Salle aren't playing. The Team Pilipinas of the Future will only get stronger.

Toroman's Team Pilipinas Tryouts Today; Ray "Bobby" Parks

Team Pilipinas of the future under Coach Rajko Toroman is conducting tryouts today.

Tryouts schedule:
November 15 5-9 pm Xavier Gym
November 17, 20, & 21 at Philsports Arena

No. of Aspirants: 35
Notables: Nonoy Baclao, Rabeh Al-Husseini, & Gregory Slaughter.

Slaughter was out of shape the first time he attended Toroman's session although the Serbian is still hopeful of the young center.

Eala said Toroman was upbeat with Slaughter, a 6-11 center from the University of Visayas. “We’re thinking of bringing Greg to a strength and conditioning coach,” Eala told the Philippine Star

Some of the Team Pilipinas aspirants were already mentioned in this blog. Noli Eala also expressed intention of recruiting Bobby Parks' son Ray to the National Team.

Just how good is Ray "Bobby" Parks Jr..read the scouting report:

Ray "Bobby" Parks Jr. (St. George's)

My goodness what a player. His ability to use his strong build and exceptional ball-handling skills made him a dangerous player to attempt to guard. He drives right by bigger defenders and overpowers the little fellas and usually finishes with something crowd pleasing. He showed a toughness on defense and looks to make a name on the national stage before too long.

Source

Ray "Bobby" Parks Jr.'s skills attracted the attention of US college recruiters. There are people in the Philippines who wants the guy to play college ball in the Philippines - a sure way for his skills to deteriorate if you've seen local college leagues. I would rather see him in US NCAA.

Height: 6-4
Weight: 185 lbs
School: St. George Academy

Espn scouting report:
December, 2007: Great bloodlines and skill are the attributes for this youngster. Raised overseas his offensive skills are way ahead of his defensive abilities so his progress will be gradual. He can score inside with ease and has a nice outside stroke.