RP ladies cage team disbanded

The "caretaker" committee tasked by the Philippine Olympic Committee to run the affairs of basketball in the country yesterday ordered a revamp of the women’s national team and called for the immediate holding of a series of tryouts.

This was the decision agreed upon by the group temporarily headed by POC president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco and composed of the Philippine Basketball Association, the Philippine Basketball League, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and National Collegiate Athletic Association.

"Basically, napag-usapan ang concerns. Obviously, the SEABA team and the women’s squad are the first priorities," POC media bureau chief Joey Romasanta told The STAR after emerging from a meeting at Cojuangco’s Dasmariñas residence yesterday morning.

"A new tryout for the women’s team will be in order, which the committee will approve," said Romasanta, adding the group will only be meeting again tomorrow to give each member more time to consult with their respective associations.

Aside from Romasanta and the former Tarlac representative, others who attended the initial meeting of the major stakeholders in RP basketball were PBA commissioner Noli Eala, PBL chief Chino Trinidad, UAAP’s Jose Capistrano Jr. of Ateneo and NCAA’s Fr. Vic Calvo of Letran.

Although the committee’s chairman is still to be decided, the group named RP cage team head coach Chot Reyes as the head of a committee in charge of basketball, which includes the handling of the affairs of the controversy-ridden women’s squad.

Reyes’ appointment and the RP women’s squad revamp would mean Raymund Celis, who was named women’s coach months before the BAP was suspended, is now out of the picture with the former Coca-Cola mentor expected to name his choice next week.

It can be recalled that Celis’ entry stirred a controversy after several standouts, mostly veterans of past Southeast Asian Games wars, staged a walkout in protest to his appointment.