SBP still looking for coach for national youth team to replace Olsen Racela

Energen Pilipinas file photo

With the departure of former Energen Pilipinas national youth coach Olsen Racela to take over the Petron Blaze Boosters, there remains a void in the coaching position for the squad that participates in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association and FIBA Asia age-group tournaments for Under-16 and Under-18 players.

But Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Sonny Barrios assured that the country is planning on continuing its participation in the age-group tilts, even with the coaching situation still up in the air.

Under Racela, the the Energen Pilipinas youth team swept both the 2011 SEABA Under-16 and 2012 SEABA Under-18 tournaments while finishing fourth in the FIBA Asia Under-16 tilt and 6th in the FIBA Asia Under-18.

?Next year meron na naman tayong Under-16 national team na i-fo-form. Sasali na naman tayo sa SEABA. ?Pag nag-qualify, FIBA Asia,? Barrios said in a press conference for the Seaoil Metro Manila Basketball League (MMBL), one of the longest running tournaments for high school teams in the country.

The MMBL is set to begin its 30th season, with a total of 70 teams participating, including the top juniors squads of the UAAP, NCAA and the Metro Manila Tiong Lian Basketball Association.

?Tingin ko, sino yung mga mahihirang na coaching staff o head coach, 99 percent ng lineup niya, (sa MMBL) lang makukuha na niya, if not 100 percent.?

While the coaching situation resolves itself, the task of forming the upcoming team could fall on the lap of SMART-Gilas Pilipinas national team coach Chot Reyes, with the help of National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) executive director Eric Altamirano, himself a former youth team coach, and training director Alex Compton.

?The way we?re going to treat it right now, si Coach Chot Reyes is the de facto national team head coach and director. We just had a meeting kasama sila Coach Eric and Coach Alex, ibibigay ko sa kanya yung mga national team na maglalaro next year ? age-group teams ng men, sa women, tanggalin na natin yung Gilas dahil done deal na yun eh, may Southeast Asian Games tayo next year ? so bibigay ko sa kanya yun and then sa kanya manggagaling, after all yung ang expertise niya, yung short list na irerekomenda niya sa ganitong age-group,? said Barrios.

?Ang magdedesisyon nun, management ng SBP ? principally, (SBP president Manuel V. Pangilinan), Ricky Vargas and myself, kami yung top three management ? together with coach Chot.?

(InterAKTV is part of InterAksyon.com, the news site of TV5, which is also chaired by Pangilinan.)

Barrios revealed that there were talks of installing Racela?s brother, Energen Pilipinas assistant coach Nash Racela, as the new head coach, but recent developments have put those plans on hold.

?Nung umalis si coach Olsen, nasa Tokyo kami, pinag-usapan namin sino papalit sa kanya ? Coach Nash. Simply because, hindi dahil kapatid siya ni coach Olsen, pero part na siya nung coaching staff eh. Alam na niya yung takbuhan, yung kalakalan ng age-group (tournaments), Under-16, Under-18,? he said.

?Unfortunately, Coach Nash became the head coach of the FEU Tamaraws, so ibang usapan na naman yun. Pag-iisipan ni cCoach Chot kung kakayanin ba ni coach Nash na head coach siya ng FEU tsaka, let?s say, ibibigay sa kanya yung Under-16. Baka hindi. Kaya tentative pa yung sino ang head coach.?

Source: http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/sbp-still-looking-for-coach-for-national-youth-team-to-replace-olsen-racela

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