Asi, Kelly, Sol Mercado Smart Gilas Training

These three players' aim is to help the short and handicapped Smart Gilas National Basketball Team. Asi Taulava, Kelly Williams and Sol Mercado are getting ready to show their mad skills on the training floor of the Smart Gilas Team. They were introduced to the team yesterday and they will have a six-week training session in preparation for Guangzhou Asian Games. The said training will be held at The San Juan Arena Gym. Starting from 11am - 4 or 5 pm.

Coach Rajko Toroman believes that Asi Taulava could help in increasing the height of Smart Gilas' front court and he could help in getting the rebounds for his team. He believes that once Asi regains his healthy, thinner and meaner body he could be the beast in the east. He is a legit 6'9 center and his size and mobility could help the team instantly. Also, Asi has many important experiences in the international leagues. He even went up against Yao Ming. But he might not be able to post up players because Coach Toroman rarely employs post up scoring.



On the other hand, Coach Toroman believes that Kelly Williams can create mismatches at the power forward position. He's 6'7, he can defend well, he can dunk in your face, he can move and do cross overs all around taller power forwards. We need him to be our go-to-guy.



And finally, regarding Sol Mercado, Coach said that with his bulky shoulders and good ball handling, driving skills and with his 6'1 height he would definitely add depth to the talented backcourt of Gilas. He believes that he could teach Andy Barocca, Chris Tiu and Jayvee Casio some important pointers when it comes to ball handling, passing and timely shooting. There's also Chris Lutz and Marcio Lassiter. In an interview Sol Mercado said, “It’s an honor for me to be included. I’ll just do whatever I can to help the team. Coach Rajko knows what he’s doing. I can’t wait to play for him.” He is expected to have more touches because Coach Toroman loves to make his pointguards score especially his backcourt players.



In an interview coach Toroman said,“These are the players that we need to become more competitive. We have six weeks to work out together and hopefully the plan pays off.” The Guangzhou Asian Games schedule is from November 12 to 27.