GILAS JOB LEADER OF THE PACK
Wearing a Pilipinas shirt which he previously wore as a team consultant for the Gilas squad, Tab Baldwin embarks on a new chapter in his coaching career after he was named as the new Philippine men’s national basketball coach.
“The shirt seems a little bit heavier now, and I’m sure it’s the weight of expectations,” Baldwin said in the formal announcement of his hiring on Tuesday. “It’s an important job to be the head coach of a national team. I’ve been very blessed to coach a few national teams, but I would say that the Gilas Pilipinas job would probably be the leader of the pack in terms of the expectations, in terms of the aspirations, in terms of the desire of so many people to have success.”
Baldwin will serve as the head coach for Gilas Pilipinas for four years, aside from being tasked to handle the development of basketball in the other levels of competition, including the under-18 and the cadet squads.
“We want our program to be regarded for the quality of the men that are working within it. We will need to work to improve our standing,” he said.
Baldwin was selected by the committee composed of SBP Vice Chairman Ricky Vargas, SBP Executive Director Sonny Barrios, PBA commissioner Chito Salud, PBA chairman Pato Gregorio, and PBA vice chairman Robert Non, who all vowed secrecy until the formal announcement was made.
“We went through a process and together with representatives from the PBA, we went to a selection process, deliberated on the coaches, and Tab is the best among all of them,” said Vargas.
“He’s the most fit in the criteria that we put together in selecting our next national team coach.”
Baldwin also heaped praises on his predecessor, Chot Reyes, who Baldwin attributes his success in the Philippine basketball scene to.
“Chot is responsible for me being a part of the Philippine basketball community and responsible for me sitting in this chair. He is a good friend, and he’s a better friend to basketball in this country and is a passionate supporter on everything that has been done and everything that will be done,” he said.
“It’s a privilege to succeed coach Chot and assume this position, and I’m very excited because this team is in good shape and it is all our hope that we improve on the games that have been made and take this team and country to higher rankings and greater honors in the world basketball stage.”
Baldwin also wants to retain the ideals they had under Reyes, where everyone who dons a Pilipinas jersey would give his all in the games.
“When we issue a Gilas Pilipinas uniform to a player, we want to make sure that the man that stands inside that uniform is prepared to represent the people of this country, not just as a basketball player, but as a person,” he said. “That’s a tough process, so we have to work with a lot of people to ensure that we put the right basketball players in these uniforms.” (RL)
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