By Rey Joble

SYDNEY Spirit, a three-time champion in the National Basketball League in Australia, will most likely face the national team handled by coach Yeng Guiao.

Marco Selorio, a Filipino based in Sydney and marketing manager of the Spirit, told Standard Today that his squad is willing to play Guiao’s RP squad either in the Philippines or in Australia, where thousands of Filipinos are working and staying.

“We can work this thing out,” said Selorio via online interview. “If the organizers can arrange a free airfare for our team, then we’re willing to go.”

The Spirit, led by Matthew Knight, David Gruber, Jason Smith, Derrick Low and Drew Williamson, are formerly known as the Kings. They were the undisputed champions from 2003 to 2005.

Selorio, who is also the head of Hoopdreamz, a sporting promotional outfit, said that they are planning to help every which way they can in the preparations of the RP Team.

“We’ve learned that their planned pocket tournament against a Puerto Rican team was canceled. We see this as an opportunity to help the RP Team in our best possible way by playing against them,” said Selorio. “The good thing about Australian teams is that they play tough basketball.”

The pocket tournament involving Guiao’s RP Team, the Puerto Rican squad and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas-supported RP developmental team of Serbian coach Rajko Toroman was called off after miscommunications among the organizers.

In 2002, the Perth Wildcats played against the RP Team then handled by Jong Uichico. The Wildcats proved to be a competitive squad that managed to beat the Nationals, who also lost Danny Seigle to an injury and made him miss the quadrennial meet.

Selorio said that the Singapore Slingers, a team that defeated the Air21 Express last year in a two-game series in Singapore, could also be a good choice to be invited in the Philippines.

PBA media bureau chief and special assistant to the commissioner Willie Marcial said he welcomed this new development and will get in touch with Selorio at the soonest possible time.

“We just have to know the details and the arrangements of their planned visit for a tune-up game, but this is certainly a big help for the preparation of the RP Team,” said Marcial.

Pressed for time to have a tune-up game, the Nationals will take on every possible opponent as part of its preparation for the Southeast Asia Basketball Association, which will be held in April. The Seaba meet is calendared first on the list of priorities of the RP squad. The team will next play a selection of players bannered by imports in the PBA All-Star game.

But the Seaba tournament is just a tip of the iceberg. The stiffer competitions will come from the Asian Champions Cup in Indonesia this May.