Since the influx of emails from personalities such as Jamal Sampson, Rajko Toroman, and a comment from Chot Reyes these past few days, people have been emailing me left and right about messages for these people, including a lot of suggestions for Coach Toroman regarding team strategy and player recruitment. Apparently, I am now the official receptionist of all of Philippine basketball.

Anyway, whenever I feel pretty good about myself with how much this blog is being read, I always get an email that starts with Dear Quinito. It puts me back in my place, just like Burger King put Smart Gilas in their place in that controversial game.

I’m posting this particular email from a certain ‘Redentor Castro’ not to make fun of it (although it is hilarious), but also because I figured that someone could forward the message to Quinito himself. Not only would he be thrilled with the idea that someone thinks he should be an adviser to the SBP, but it contains something about someone abroad possibly being related to a Filipino, and Quinito just lives for that stuff. It’s like shabu for him; remember, this is the same guy who spent the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals writing about Karl Malone’s biyenan. You could almost hear him banging out a column now.

Oh, right the email. Here it is, as it was sent:

Good morning Quinito,

First of all i would like to thank you for continuously providing valuable insights to Philippine Basketball. I am just wondering that inspite of your knowledge and expertise, how come that SBP is not taking you as one of their advisers.

Anyways, I am sending you this e-mail just to make a suggestion for the Smart Gilas that currently facing difficulty of looking for a reinforcement. I have watched Smart Gilas during the recently concluded basketball tournament in Dubai, and I was impressed on how they adopted the system of Toroman (how I wish that it is a filipino calling the shots and not a foreigner, nothing against with Toroman but just call it patriotism), but if you would analyze the style and system that Mr. Toroman is trying to put with Smart Gilas, it is basically the same formula that Ron Jacobs instilled with NCC during the 80's, although just a minor tweaking (it's because the level of the basketball then is comparatively different from now) but still the foundation is the same; a dominant big man ( remember Dennis Steel, who needs not to score but willing to protect the paint; offensively and defensively) a high flying wing man (Jeff Moore, who is very athletic and agile who's percentage of his shots is very high) and a shooter(Chip Engeland).

Among the three positions that mentioned, the last two is not hard to find specially within this generation of Pinoy players or even fil-ams. but having a big man in the middle who's priority is to clog the lanes and get the rebound but of course a threat in the paint is the most difficult one, since it is very seldom that you will find it. That is why Adam Parada (ex Red Bull import) came to my mind.

Why Adam Parada, well if you will see his approach in the game, it is basically the same thing as what Dennis Steel and CJ Giles were doing for the team, he rebounds well, blocks good and if needed he can really score, not to the fact that he is a member of many times of the Mexican national basketball team, that makes him knowledgable of the Amateur International Rules of basketball. One more thing that makes Adam Parada more quallified to become the reinsforcement of GIlas is that he is engaged or married to a Filipina who happens to be a daughter of a former amateur player named Raul Inoferio (I am not sure if it with Maisagana) who is now reciding here in Canada, who was married BEFORE to the daughter of Elias Tolentino. So with this facts, I guess calling him and to be part of a Philippine Basketball again will not be difficult, what can you say?

Have a nice day and more power to your blog.

Red Castro
Burnaby, British Columbia
Canada