BAP unfazed by cagebelles withdrawal

The Basketball Association of the Philippines yesterday downplayed the withdrawal of nine mainstays of the women’s national squad, saying there is a good number of talents out there willing to fill in their slots.

"They are the players na ayaw sumunod, hindi pa naman nila nakikita ang programa ng new coach namin, masyado silang nagmamadali at nagmamarunong," said BAP secretary-general Graham Lim, who recently appointed Raymond Celis as the new RP women’s coach, in yesterday’s SCOOP sa Kamayan.

Southeast Asian Games veterans Emelia Vega, Susan Bambico and Ellyn Caasi led a group of nine players in abandoning their slots in the national squad reportedly in protest to the appointment of Celis.

"Ito’y isa lamang hindi pagkakaintindihan ng players at coach," Filomeno "Boy" Codiñera, BAP’s vice-president for the Visayas, said.

"If they don’t want to play for the national team, it’s their right. But there are talents out there especially in the provinces and they are willing to play for country and flag," he added.

Celis, who handled the basketball program at La Salle-Greenhills before accepting the RP coaching job, replaced Arturo "Bai" Cristobal, who resigned from his post last October, but remained the team’s consultant.

The recent withdrawal dealt a huge blow to the country’s chances of matching, if not surpassing, a bronze medal finish in the 2003 Hanoi SEAG, when the country host the 23rd edition of the biennial meet late this year.

Vega, who is current coach of UAAP women’s titlist Adamson, Bambico and Caasi were also members of the team that won the country its last silver medal in the SEAG in the 1993 edition in Singapore.