Rajko no more?

Rajko: THIS is the thanks I get? No contract renewals? Nothing?

All signs point to Serbian and SMART Gilas I head coach Rajko Toroman not returning for an encore with the Philippine Men's Basketball team in any basketball-related capacity for the foreseeable future.

Should this be taken as a step back for Philippine basketball, which was praised and predicted to be just "five years away" from the Asian crown by no less than Hall of Famer (and senator) Robert Jaworski Sr.? Or is it a sign that hey, with all the basketball minds we have at our disposal and the endless funding provided by Manny V. Pangilinan et. al., that maybe it's time to move on from the Toroman-era?

Honestly, the biggest factor that separates Toroman from local coaches is recruitment credibility. He's won big before, and that's always a plus when trying to lure in top prospects and foreign reinforcements. Don't give me that "he's familiar with zone defenses" bull, as Jaemark "FireQuinito" Tordecilla once noted, it was his favorite Meralco head coach Ryan Gregorio who came up with the more intrinsic zone defensive schemes for SMART Gilas and not the battle-tested Toroman.

We already have a short list of possible replacements, arguably the worse-kept secret in all of Philippine basketball- there's Talk 'n' Text's Chot Reyes, Meralco's Gregorio and finally, Ateneo de Manila University's Norman Black.

Of the three prospects, it's Reyes who is at the forefront given his familiarity with the international scene and success in the Philippine Basketball Association. The last time Reyes called the shots however for the Philippines, he was no different from the much ridiculed campaign of PBA All Stars coached by Yeng Guiao who went isolation heavy and tried to play streetball over a more disciplined approach.

After Reyes comes Black, who definitely looked like he was being groomed for bigger things after he was asked to coach the Sinag Pilipinas team in the Southeast Asian Games. Personally, what Black lacks in coaching moxie (that Reyes has tons of), he makes up with Xs and Os. Usually, star players turned coaches don't succeed as they fail to teach certain, "little" aspects of the game-- not Black. He is as sound as they come, and best of all, has shown that he can develop guys in all positions: JC Intal from sideshow slam dunker to all around scorer, Doug Kramer/ Rabah Al Husaini/ Claiford Arao from blah centers to beasts and Kirk Long from sniper to lockdown defender.

And then, there's Gregorio.

Of the three, Gregorio has surprised us with news of that defensive scheme of his.

And, in case you haven't been watching Meralco games as of late, he's preaching the  double screen up top for his guards much like Rajko did for Jayvee Casio/ Mark Barroca with Marcus Douthit and Kelly Williams.

Also, Gregorio is a player's coach with an undeniable gift of gab that can win over just about anyone.

Would SMART Gilas II's chances be hurt with Rajko's departure? Talent and coaching wise, I say not as much as people would think (hey, have some faith in our local brains!). Scouting and recruitment wise, we'd be lucky to get players who would actually WANT to play for the country instead of being paid to do so.