Tab Baldwin

Tab Baldwin & Gilas Pilipinas

Okay, Coach Tab Baldwin is not Filipino, we know that. But for someone not having Filipino blood, he sure has the Filipino Puso (heart) and the Filipino balls, that of a David going after the Goliath.

Adopted

Also being the head of the Gilas Pilipinas Youth National Basketball Program, the (unofficial) national team sport of the Philippines, then he has become an adopted Filipino.

He has the uneviable task and Herculian burden of carrying Gilas on his shoulders through the next World Mens Basketball Games and who knows, even bringing back Philippine Basketball on the Olympic stage.

Balls of Steel

After publicly saying in a recent podcast what his personal opinions are of what is wrong with Phillipine basketball worrying not about angering FIBA, local Filipino coaches and the mighty SBP and the PBA, then he really could be considered as a certified adopted Pinoy -- fighting for the cause of Philippine basketball more than any other previous Filipino head coach,  even though he knows that he will be in the receiving end of criticism from his peers within the local Filipino coaching circle.

Sanctioned

Now after being sanctioned and fined and castigated by local coaches and the PBA, for speaking his mind, I just hope something positive will come out of his revelations, particularly because what he said is true.

Without changing any of the outmoded style of recruiting, training, selecting, coaching and everything else, then there is no way for Philippine basketball to move up internationally, especially now that all other national basketball programs are doing everything to better themselves, including recruiting foreign coaches and players.

Let's watch what he said here.

Time will tell and will come when his words will be proven true.