Photo Credit: FIBA.com
He is responsible for taking the Philippine national basketball team to a territory they have never explored for the past two decades – a man who gathered a group of promising young stars and piloted them to the top of the Asian basketball stage, a mentor who bled Red, White, and Blue, while engineering his troops to greater heights the past three years, a disciplinarian who would instill the Xs and Os of hoops to his talented crew.
His name is Rajko Toroman – the head coach of Smart Gilas Pilipinas who paved the way for the country’s climb back to the pinnacle of Asian basketball.
The Serbian national found himself in one of the many corners of the Southeast-Asian archipelago, not knowing he would be part of hoops history by putting back the Philippines back on the map.
Toroman’s tenure as head coach of Smart Gilas – which included the Philippines’ rise from 53 to 45 in the FIBA rankings in 2011 and battles against the top basketball icons in the world – Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, and James Harden – drew nothing but positive response.
The soft-spoken mentor proved the Philippines can be a powerhouse in the world of basketball when we crashed into the semifinals of the FIBA Asia Championship for the first time in 24 years.
I last saw Toroman at the Coral Way lobby of the Mall of Asia Arena, mobbed as usual by legions of passionate Filipino hoops supporters who would probably fight each other just to get a picture with the charismatic old man during the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship here in August.
I could remember the last words he said to me when I asked him about his thoughts on the gold medal match between Iran – a team he brought all the way to the 2008 Olympics in China – and the Philippines – a country which served as his home for four years.
“Very big,” quipped Toroman on how Gilas Pilipinas, now coached by Vincent ‘Chot’ Reyes, has improved ever since his departure as head coach.
It will be months away from Toroman’s first year out of the Philippines, a nation he has embraced for the past four years through basketball.
And he made sure he would leave something the country can use for good even if he is already back in his home country of Serbia: the Rajko Toroman system – from how he incorporates discipline, work ethic, and positive energy in huddles to the more complicated European-style plays.
I spoke to three coaches who have been part of Coach Rajko’s system: Jude Roque of the San Beda Red Lions, Allan Gregorio of the UPIS Junior Fighting Maroons, and Ford Arao of the NLEX Road Warriors.
All three likened the influence of Toroman’s system to that of a ripple.
True enough, Toroman’s system has spread throughout the country and is now being used by the three coaches for their own squads in the local basketball scene.
“My knowledge and maturity as a head coach doubled in the three years I was with Gilas,” said Roque, who was part of the initial batch of mentors along with Gregorio, Charles Tiu, and conditioning coach Jim Saret.
“I try to use some of the strategy we had, and try to create my own variety based from the plays we used in Gilas.”
For Allan Gregorio, who is calling the shots for a team dubbed as the whipping boys of the UAAP, applying ‘Toroman basketball’ has given them good results.
Like Roque, Gregorio adopted some of the plays Toroman used under Smart Gilas, and incorporated the strategy and even the attitude to his Junior Maroons.
“The whole UPIS system is 70% running with Gilas,” Gregorio said with pride. “And we are reaping good results.
“The perfect example is from being winless for the past two years but we started winning four games. We are able to beat FEU too, which is a champion team.”
The result was a dash of improvement for the UPIS ballers.
From finishing dead last in the juniors basketball tournament of UAAP Season 74 with a 1-13 card, Gregorio’s wards are slowly climbing, as they finished with a 4-10 record in Seasons 75 and 76.
Gregorio everything his boys practice has a semblance of Toroman’s blueprint.
“I was able to digest the nitty-gritty of the game. Every year, we go abroad and observe different styles. That is one thing our players are able to instill among themselves: from how we are supposed to arrive in a gym early, the discipline, and respect for each other,” added Gregorio.
Ford Arao meanwhile, who suited up as one of the pioneer big men for Smart Gilas, spent six months under the program before finding a home with the perennial PBA D-League champions, the NLEX Road Warriors.
As a player, Arao was able to build confidence on the floor, having been exposed to international competition.
But when he transitioned from center to a mentor, Arao was able to channel Toroman’s plays to another generation of talented players in NLEX, like Garvo Lanete, Kevin Alas, Matt Ganuelas, Jake Pascual, and Ronald Pascual.
“I am very grateful to be part of the program even if it is just for a short time. Rajko is no pushover. He is a champion coach and an Olympian,” shared Arao, who is part of both NLEX’s and San Beda’s coaching staff.
He has learned to show passion even if it just a simple scrimmage, and this mindset has helped him mature as a coach.
“In terms of coaching, we are running some of Rajko’s plays in NLEX and San Beda. He wants you to show your commitment even during practice.”
Toroman has infected the three mentors with the same dose of commitment and passion when it comes to the game, the same way he taught all of his players how to struggle, fight, and win as one.
As a basketball fan, it was a bit painful to see Toroman leave. Having been a sideline supporter for Smart Gilas, I thought Toroman’s stay as head coach or consultant would never end.
But we have to enjoy his contributions to Philippine basketball – intangibles that will be passed on to the next generations.
What type of basketball are you playing? Let’s play Toroman basketball.
By: Levi Verora
Follow the writer on Twitter: @levijoshua
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