Utak over puso
When Yeng Guiao took over as coach of the national team, one of the things he gave emphasis at is the importance of intelligence on top of playing with all your heart. In local parlance, it’s “utak over puso.”
True enough, Guiao brought in players who are not just known for playing with a big heart. They’re also regarded for their basketball smarts.
Alex Cabagnot and Paul Lee, two of the best guards in the PBA, bring in an abundance of intelligence for the Pilipinas squad that is set to play in the next window of the FIBA Asia World Cup qualifier starting Sept. 13 in Iran.
Now 35 years old, Cabagnot may be at the tailend of his career, but he didn’t show signs of slowing down.
In fact, over the last three seasons when the San Miguel Beermen dominated in Asia’s first professional league, Cabagnot played a key role for the squad. His cerebral playmaking has been above par. His clutch performance was beyond matched and he has remained a solid player for the most successful franchise the league had ever seen. It’s never too late for anything and Cabagnot is cherishing the moment of playing for the national team for the first time – and there’s no better way to start it than playing under Guiao, whom he played for briefly when the latter was coaching Burger King.
Lee, on the other hand, was like a son Guiao never had.
His name was on top of the list when Guiao was asked to choose who will be the players he would like to get to play for the hastily-prepared Rain or Shine-Pilipinas team in the Asian Games and his name was never crossed out ever since. He remains to be a mainstay for a squad being coached by his old mentor.
Even Guiao’s old boys would want their team to have a different identity, more than just a team known for its “puso.” They don’t want the squad to be called as Gilas. They would rather be called Pilipinas or Philippine squad, which in the truest sense of the word, is the proper way of calling our national basketball team before commercialism corrupted our previous Philippine team quintets.
One of the identities this new team wants to have is to play with high intelligence.
Guiao agrees that there should be a balance in everything both in playing with a big heart and performing with high intelligence at the same time.
Players like Cabagnot, Lee, Stanley Pringle, Christian Standhardinger, Marcio Lassiter, Ian Sangalang, Gabe Norwood, Beau Belga and all the other players included in the pool, have those qualities so when they step on the floor, these players don’t only fight hard, but they would also think of the best ways to win.
Utak over puso. Expect this new breed of Philippine team to play with all its heart and mind.