When skeds clash

When one is made to choose between country and school team, one is expected to always choose country, right? Well I’m afraid the answer is neither here nor there. It’s actually more like a big NO. But when skeds are ironed out to avoid conflicts among local and international competitions, there isn’t a problem at all.

This in a nutshell is the dilemma that we in the Philippines face every year and yet we still don’t do anything about it. When an international basketball tournament for the youth is held and the Philippines needs to send a team, we can’t send the best players due to conflicts with the mother ballclubs of many players.

 One major conflict this year is the FIBA Asia Under 16 basketball tournament which will be held in Vietnam from October 18-28. This is exactly the same time as the playoffs of the NCAA and UAAP high school tournaments, the two biggest leagues of the country. And since most of the Philippine team’s key players are from these leagues, the national team is now in a dilemma. It looks like the schools don’t intend to release their players to play for the national team. These schools are more interested in winning a high school championship and won’t allow any of its players to be absent.

 The irony of it all is that a compromise can always be arranged for a win-win situation. While the UAAP and NCAA teams are correct in wanting to win a championship, neither can we say that the Philippine team is wrong in its desire to send the strongest possible team to the tournament. Another irony here is that all the major collegiate leagues are actually members of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), the sport’s national sports association (NSA) which is given the role of forming a national team for all the competitions that we join every year.

 It’s really all about scheduling. The sad part here is that the Philippines isn’t in synch with the FIBA due to certain circumstances. The schedule of our school-based leagues is in conflict with the international youth tournaments held between the months July and October. But even if this conflict occurs, what the country is asking for is just a matter of ten days of international play. The FIBA Asia U16 tournament won’t eat up the same number of days as an entire NCAA or UAAP season. Can’t the NCAA or UAAP make a little room for this?

 At this point, it doesn’t look like the leagues have plans of revising their schedules to accommodate the needs of the national team. Consequently, the teams with players on the national team will not allow them to play for our tri-colors. Talk about youth development and loyalty to the flag? Among those in the heat include NCAA powerhouse San Beda which has four players on the national team (five if we include ex-SHS-Ateneo player Adven Diputado who’s serving his one-year residency). Disclosure: We in Cebu have given the go-signal to Henry Asilum to join the national team even if this means his missing games of his team at the CESAFI (playoffs included). Our school teams, which are supposed to be teaching young kids the value of love for one’s country, are actually telling their players that love for school should prevail over love for country. How can this be right?

The answer is supposed to be a simple no-brainer but some people simply have twisted priorities. If one looks at the ongoing FIBA Qualifier tournaments as an example, one can’t help but notice that the world’s best players are all playing for their country. And these various tournaments are scheduled in such a way that no conflicts are in place. You have Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, the Gasol’s and other European-born NBA players seeing action for their countries in the Eurobasket 2011. Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola and JJ Barea are also playing at the FIBA Americas tournament, again without any conflict of skeds between the FIBA and the NBA. It’s a simple case of one giving way to the other.

Now if they can do it in the big leagues, why can’t we do the same in the youth sector? Why can’t the NCAA be flexible with its sked and adjust for the country? Why do teams consider a high school title more important than playing for the country?

 It’s all about win-win. If the local leagues and teams give away for only a short period of time, we can send all the best players available to an international meet and they also get to play in a high school tournament’s playoffs. We don’t embarrass ourselves overseas, thanks to a good performance with a complete team. And more importantly, the high school team can remain intact for its crucial playoff games.

Simple lang, di ba?

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Time-out: Happy birthday to Fr. Jun Paradiang. >>> Hi Smart Bro: what’s up with your unlimited lousy signal? It’s off more than on. >>> You can reach me at [email protected].