Gilas Pilipinas interim head coach Jong Uichico was with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas when it conducted an ocular inspection at the venues to be used for the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers’ third window in February.
They went to Pampanga last Wednesday to check both the Quest Hotel at the Clark Freeport Zone and the AUF Sports and Cultural Center in Angeles — both of which were used by the PBA in its recently-concluded bubble season.
According to SBP executive director Sonny Barrios, they brought along Uichico to get some inputs from his experience in Manama, Bahrain, where the Qualifiers’ second window last November was held through a bubble set-up.
The decorated bench tactician was tasked to mentor an all-cadet Gilas Pilipinas squad in the said meet, where they swept Thailand in two games to lift the Philippines on top of Group A with a clean 3-0 record.
“When we visited the two facilities, we brought along Coach Jong Uichico who was in Bahrain,” Barrios said in a virtual press conference Saturday.
“So, Jong Uichico was there to comment on how it was in Bahrain regarding the playing venues, the training facilities, the lodging facilities, all that.”
Barrios said that the SBP is “combining learnings of both PBA and our stint at Bahrain” in hosting February’s tilt, eager to show the other teams “the same warmth of Filipino hospitality even under these difficult circumstances.”
One of the adjustments in store is that each of the eight teams — Gilas, Korea, Indonesia, and Thailand of Group A and Group C’s Australia, New Zealand, Guam, and Hongkong — will have a room each at the AUF.
“They don’t have to interchange or wait for a changing room to be vacated because they will have one dedicated room per team — a big improvement over what FIBA has had in their Bahrain bubble,” Barrios explained.
As far as lodging is concerned, Barrios shared that Uichico was left impressed with what the Quest Hotel has to offer.
“According to Coach Jong, the Quest lodging facilities are far better–if I may say so–than their lodging facilities in Bahrain. So, we should be proud of what we Filipinos have here,” the amiable executive said.
And the Quest Hotel, which served as the home of the PBA for its bubble season that spanned from October to December, is set to improve further, according to SBP president Al Panlilio.
“Quest is a very good hotel, and everybody was very happy. But a portion, I think half of the hotel can be upgraded. And I think Quest has already committed that they will try to upgrade as many rooms as they can.”
Photo by Andrei Tolentino/SBP
