(c) PBA Media Bureau
The clamor is increasing. The most beloved PBA player today could finally make his debut for our national team.
That is after coach Yeng Guiao made it clear that he will invite Scottie Thompson to be part of the Gilas squad that will play against Iran and Qatar for Asian qualifier of the FIBA World Cup.
Other than Scottie, Marcio Lassiter, Alex Cabagnot, Greg Slaughter and Ian Sangalang was named as invitees from the SMC camp.
Coach Tim Cone was all in for the inclusion of Greg Slaughter and Scottie.
"I hope they both make it. From a coaching standpoint I’m happy to get them playing internationally because when they come back, they’re a lot better, a lot more confident.” That was the statement of coach Tim after their win against Columbian.
Of course, I am also all in with the inclusion of the two.
Why should we be excited about a guard that is not reliable from beyond the arc? Here are my three reasons.
PUSO AND HUSTLE
Even though our game against Qatar in our home turf will be close to the public, the "Puso" and hustle will still be felt by his teammates. We need a lot of that two qualities to overcome our disadvantage on the frontline and in talent.
Scottie's hustle, especially, on the defensive end will be important. He is non-stop and always focus on defending his assignment and disrupting the offense.
His style of play could make him the right face of the national team. For the last several years, we have Jayson Castro for that role. We need a new one that we can also relate too and we are always assured that he will give his 100% in the battle.
TEAM PLAYER
For me, one of his most important traits is his 100% commitment in the roles that are given to him. He is a low maintenance guy who is not looking to score or to feed his basketball ego. We need that type of player because we already have a lot of scorers.
In the recent Commissioner's Cup, Scottie Thompson produced 9.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.1 steals, 3.3/7.0 FG per game. He is a stat-filler. We are all familiar about his elite rebounding but we should not forget about his defense and playmaking.
The other thing that standout is his 7.0 field-goal attempts per game. That is low for a player that had 31.5 minutes of playing time. He is the kind of team-player that our national team badly needs.
REBOUNDING
If we will try to have outside shooting bigs like JP Erram, Beau Belga and Raymond Almazan, we need to get help in our rebounding department. How about adding the best rebounding guard in the history of the league.
If he will be able to do what he is doing in the PBA, our defense and offense will be fortified. When our bigs are lured outside, we will still have the opportunity to get the rebound because of his presence.
When we play on the offensive end, a 2nd chance opportunity is still possible even though our bigs are stationed beyond the arc.
His ability to grab the rebound and go from end to end of the court will also bolster our pace and fastbreak opportunities.
OVERALL
I am really hoping that we will finally see Scottie Thompson in a Gilas uniform.
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