THE Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is exploring all options to guarantee the formation of a competitive national men’s team that will vie for a berth in the 2019 International Basketball Federation World Cup.
And one of those options is a team composed of Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and cadet players.
SBP Executive Director Sonny Barrios said the federation is not totally closing the door on pros despite an earlier pronouncement that it will concentrate on its Gilas Pilipinas cadets who will try to bring the Philippines to the World Cup China is hosting two years from now.
The PBA has not made any official statement about making its players available anew for Gilas Pilipinas following the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, although the pro league officials have become apprehensive the new Fiba continental qualifiers format run against the PBA schedule.
“Hopefully we can have some sort of a hybrid, so to speak, if we can do that for some of the tournament windows. In other words we can mix [players],” Barrios told the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday at Shakey’s Malate.
Although it looked as simple as ABC, the SBP official stressed it’s actually a bit complex. Six qualifiers will be held from November of 2017 until February of 2019 to determine the 32 teams from four continents for the Fiba World Cup in China.
Gilas Team Manager Butch Antonio, who also graced the forum presented by San Miguel Corp., Shakey’s, Accel and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., said a maintained sound relationship between the SBP and PBA would make things much easier. “The partnership with the PBA has been very good. It’s something that we’d like to keep and foster for the World Cup,” Antonio said.
PBA Commissioner Chito Narvasa and SBP Vice President Al Panlilio have already started discussing the future national team, according to Antonio.
“The talks have been positive. Once they get back from their business trips, hopefully in the next few days, they will settle something,” said Antonio, also the SBP deputy executive director for international affairs.