To prepare for Philippine hoops’ future campaigns, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), the country’s governing body for basketball, and the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), the country’s top professional league, shall convene after the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila, SBP President Manny V. Pangilinan confirmed on Wednesday.
Concerns have surfaced after it was announced the national team will be returning to an amateur-laden squad come the 2017 basketball season to brace for the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualification process.
SBP Executive Director Sonny Barrios said reverting back to the Gilas I blueprint was “borne out of necessity” due to FIBA’s new home and away format.
Pangilinan added going back with an amateur-laden team “is the only viable option given the schedule of FIBA starting 2017.”
“The Gilas team will have games here, games in other countries. I think if we don’t form a separate team, it will completely disrupt the PBA schedule. Not only the PBA, but the NBA schedule, and the schedule of other leagues around the world,” Pangilinan said.
With most windows of the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualification process overlapping with the PBA schedule, preparation will be a critical part of the country’s quest to make it to the next World Cup and next Olympics.
To make sure the country still sends the most competitive team possible for the windows, the SBP and PBA shall sit down and see how they can work together to field the best Filipino players in the qualification process.
“The agreement with Narvasa is lets sit down after the OQT,” Pangilinan said. “Malinaw na kailangan mag-usap. In principle naman sa kaniya, okay naman yung Gilas cadets because ayaw niya rin ma-disrupt ang PBA calendar in a very significant way.”
“Mahirap naman bubunutin mo yung players kung nasa championship sila.”
PBA Commissioner Chito Narvasa assured the league and the SBP will do their best to address concerns together and help the national team with its preparation for future competitions.
“There is no conflict. What is on the table is just schedule. It is a matter of sitting down,” Narvasa said. “I am sure in the spirit of cooperation and love for basketball, it will be easy to sit down and it won’t be a difficult decision.”
“We really have no choice but to form a separate team under the circumstances. It is best to replicate what was done with coach Rajko Toroman,” Pangilinan said. “The details of how this program is going to be implemented shall be coordinated with Commissioner Narvasa so that it is assured we are working in collaboration with the PBA.”
Narvasa added moving the schedule of the Governors’ Cup to make way for Gilas Pilipinas’ preparation for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament next month “was not that difficult to make” because the PBA wanted to support Gilas.
Outgoing congressman Robbie Puno, who authored the naturalization bills of Marcus Douthit and Andray Blatche, also said if the future squads wants to naturalize a player, he is willing to offer help.
“Yung kay Blatche, marami nagco-author noon eh,” Puno said.
