|
JAKARTA—Supposedly
it was only one import, then came a second. Then there
was a passport issue on one, before Indonesian
immigration officials held the other for more than two
hours for no reason apparently.
Travails—and an immigration travesty—marked the first
day of the Harbour Centre-RP Team’s title-retention bid
Wednesday in the Indonesian capital.
The
Mikee Romero-backed squad, dogged by the glum
possibility of fielding only one import in collegiate
standout Sam Ekwe, found Ekwe a partner in
six-foot-eight pro-import prospect Michael LeBlanc.
 But
happy faces on the team that welcomed the Houston-raised
LeBlanc at the departure area of the Ninoy Aquino
International Airport Terminal 1 in Manila turned into a
collectively stunned look right there and then after
LeBlanc’s passport was found due to expire.
Indonesian immigration is not known to take such an
infraction lightly so LeBlanc was forced to sit and wait
until the kinks were ironed out.
Team
manager Eric Arejola contacted Indonesian immigration
officials from Manila to appeal LeBlanc’s case.
Eventually, they gave a green light to LeBlanc.
“It’s
what I call a minor setback,” LeBlanc said after dusting
off the minor incident and speaking to this reporter at
the Singapore stopover of the nearly five-hour trip to
this city.
The air
of relief was snuffed immediately, however, when Ekwe
was held by airport-immigration officials here.
As of
press time, Ekwe hadn’t joined the rest of the Nationals
and hadn’t been seen for nearly three hours after the
contingent arrived at the Soekarno Hatta International
Airport at 12:40 p.m. local time.
Arejola
was with Ekwe. The reason for Ekwe’s protracted stay
with immigration officials was not yet known.
A
practice time set for two hours began to look bleak with
the delays. Harbour Centre, which plays in the
Philippine Basketball League (PBL), was coming off a
game Tuesday.
The RP
team was forced to loiter at the baggage-claiming area
awaiting the fate of their foreign teammates.
The
addition of LeBlanc gives the Nationals at least a
chance to match up with the three other participating
nations that are playing two imports.
“He’s
primarily a scorer, but the thing is, he’s been out of
action for two months so there’s a bit of a concern as
far as his conditioning is concerned,” team consultant
Junel Baculi said.
Baculi
was the coach of the same Harbour-backed team that won
the Southeast Asian Basketball Association Club
Championships last year that was also held here.
Baculi
said he doesn’t want to compare his team with last
year—which was essentially an All-Star selection of PBL
players—to this year’s which is composed of the core of
the Harbour Centre team playing in the PBL.
“You
can’t compare them because we won last year,” he said.
“We’re still waiting on what this team can accomplish.”
Only
Jason Castro, Beau Belga and Jonathan Fernandez are
returning from last year’s team. Solomon Mercado, one of
the vital cogs of the Harbour Centre club that won its
fourth straight championship on January, also flew with
the team here.
Although
the Nationals are ready with two imports, whether the
foreigners can lead the team to the championship is
another story.
The most
significant knock against LeBlanc is whether he is in
game shape. He tried out for Welcoat in the Philippine
Basketball Association but did not make the team in the
final cut. His most impressive credential is his stint
with the University of Connecticut where he played with
NBA All-Star Rip Hamilton.
Ekwe
said he is confident that he and LeBlanc will deliver.
“We’re
ready. It’s all about winning,” Ekwe declared.
A total
of 14 players are here but two of them will be cut by
the end of the managers’ meeting Thursday.
The make
of the team is crucial with the one-and-done format of
the tournament. The Philippines face Thailand on April
4, Malaysia on April 5, and Indonesia on April 6. The
team that emerges with the best record is declared the
champion.
The
opposing countries are all fielding two imports,
including Malaysia, which went with an all-local crew
last year.
Indonesia
thumped the Philippines in their opener last year, but
the Nationals redeemed themselves by routing the
Indonesians in the championship round.
The
hosts are doing away with the championship round this
year. |
