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Philippine participation in the Jones Cup in Taiwan in
July remained in limbo over the weekend, but Junel
Baculi, who was tasked to coach the Harbour
Centre-backed team, would start putting the national
squad together this week.
Jones
Cup organizers have given a condition on the Philippines
that unless a team of Philippine Basketball Association
(PBA) players is sent to the annual tournament, the
country will not be invited this year. The reason for
this, local basketball leaders surmised, borders around
marketing and ticket sales because of the thousands of
Filipino overseas workers in Taiwan who would
potentially watch the games in droves.
“As of
now, wala pa kaming balita kung tuloy o hindi. Pero
we will start our practice [next] week para
ready naman ang team kung ano man ang mangyari,”
Baculi said Sunday.
“Anyway,
given the time and preparation given to us, and the kind
of lineup we have, our goal there is to compete and
gauge ’yung Asian rivals na din na puwede
nating makalaban sa Asian Games sa 2010,” he
added.
The
BusinessMirror could not reach Basketball Association of
the Philippines-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas
executive director Patrick Gregorio, who has been
dealing with the Jones Cup organizers.
The
delay has put Filipino-American Rob Reyes’s return to
the country on hold. He was set to fly back on June 5
based on earlier arrangements of the coaching staff and
the management led by team owner Mikee Romero and team
manager Erick Arejola.
The PBA
has also virtually dismissed the possibility of sending
a team or a selection to the Jones Cup because of a
conflict in schedule with the ongoing Fiesta Cup.
The core
of the five-peat champion Batang Pier, led by three-time
Most Valuable Player Jason Castro, Beau Belga, Jonathan
Fernandez, Solomon Mercado, Chad Alonzo and Jeff Chan,
will make up the squad, according to Baculi. Gabe
Norwood and six-foot-nine Japeth Aguilar are possibly
additions to the team.
The
Jones Cup is set from July 10 to 18. Jordan is the
defending champion.
... as RP-Nokia boys do it in earnest
Reuben
Terrado
Correspondent
THE
RP-Nokia Youth has started honing for the Fiba-Asia
Youth Championship in Tehran, Iran, which reels off
August 28 and lasts till September 5, but would only
train on local soil.
And it’s
all because of the tight academic schedule of the
players.
“The
players have their commitment with their schools, and
going abroad to train is out of the picture,” said
national head coach Franz Pumaren.
The
nationals, who are aged 18 and below, underwent
extensive training, including one in the United States,
when they prepared for the Southeast Asian Basketball
Association (Seaba) Championship for Junior Men in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. The result was a championship sweep
for the boys, who are backed in the endeavor by Nokia
and the TAO Corp. of Julio Sy Jr.
Pumaren
said they will continue to play against older and bigger
players to simulate the type of competition in the
Tehran
tournament, where, unlike in the Kuala Lumpur
tournament, players are taller and burlier.
The
Nationals started light training on Tuesday at the Brent
Gym inside the PhilSports Complex in
Pasig
City,
focusing on conditioning.
Pumaren
said he has also invited back players who did not make
the cut for the Seaba meet and also some players from
the National Basketball Training Center.
“All the
players can still be replaced,” Pumaren warned, as he
predicted a much tougher task in
Tehran.
Filipino-Canadians Norbert Torres (Most Valuable Player
in Kuala Lumpur), Kyle Pascual and Matthew Wright are
scheduled to arrive in the country in mid-June because
they still have to finish their classes abroad.
Wright
is a six-foot-two shooting guard who played for Martin
Grove in the Toronto secondary school league. |
