SMART Gilas Pilipinas ended its Serbian stint with another defeat and two injured players.

The Filipinos bowed to Serbian Division I team Mega Vizura, 70-75, to finish their six-game, 10-day trip in Belgrade with a 1-5 win-loss mark. They had a 2-3 record last year.

Filipino-American recruit Marcio Lassiter did not play because of a pulled groin, while JV Casio injured his knee.

Still, the players said the trip was very fruitful.

After losing to Serbia’s top club Partizal Belgrade in their previous game, 71-87, the Nationals gave the hosts a tough time. But Mega Vizura’s hot shooting from the three-point area spelled the difference.

The home squad hit 12 of its 20 three-point attempts, while Gilas struggled with its perimeter game.

Greg Slaughter led the visiting team with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Gilas beat Mega Vizura last year, 94-87, but couldn’t a repeat.

The team’s only win in the trip was over Division 2 club Super Fund, 91-84. Gilas also bowed to Metalac Valjevo (86-76), OKK Beogard (80-79) and Hemofarm (98-67), all Division 1 teams.

The players and the coaching staff, headed by Serbian Rajko Toroman, were scheduled to arrive  on Wednesday morning and will take a short break before flying to Las Vegas later this month for a nine-day training camp.

Gilas is also scheduled to play a two tune-up games in Vancouver, Canada, early next month before proceeding to Doha, Qatar, for the International Basketball Federation Asia Champions Cup from May 22 to 30—although the team has yet to confirm its participation in the tournament.

The team is also looking for a foreign player after prospect Dwayne Jones was signed by the playoff bound Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

According to Gilas team manager Frankie Lim, the team may hire its original choice, Courtney Sims, who was recently released by his team in the Puerto Rican basketball league.

Lim said Gilas is now “exploring every possibility and exercising all its options” to have a naturalized player in time for the qualifying events for the 2012 London Olympics.

The six-foot-11 Simms was a former Most Valuable Player in the Developmental League of the NBA and played college ball at University of Michigan. He played for the Indiana Pacers in 2007 and had stints with the Suns and New York Knicks last year before landing a job at CSKA Moscow in EuroLeague last season.

source: Joel Orellana | businessmirror.com