SBP questions Franz decision

The decision of RP Youth coach Franz Pumaren to leave his team in Iran with the FIBA Asia junior men championship not yet over didn’t sit well with the leadership of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.

With the RP boys relegated in the consolation round, Pumaren flew back to Manila to coach La Salle in a crucial game with arch rival Ateneo in the UAAP Saturday. Consultant and brother Derrick called the shots for the RP team which settled for seventh place in the Asian youth championship.

“Regardless of what’s the situation back home, he (Pumaren) had the morale obligation to stay with the team. I don’t agree with what he did and I think it’s a ground for the organization to re-evaluate his commitment to the team,” said SBP executive director Noli Eala.

“I don’t want to second guess him but I’m sure he knew the commitment, he knew the schedule. It’s his morale obligation to be with the team until the end of the battle,” Eala added

Eala remembered his own experience in Tokushima, Japan during the 2007 FIBA Asia men’s championship where he stayed on despite a personal problem that cropped up in Manila. In Iran, he said he came over only briefly since it’s clear from the beginning that he’s not part of the team and he had an SBP conference to attend to.

Eala said the RP boys could have performed a lot better if Arvie Bringas, Nico Salva and Kyle Pascual were allowed to join the team.

He blamed the absence of a synchronized calendar of tournaments in the country for the team’s seventh place finish in Iran.

“We had an ample preparation but not enough materials. The lack of a synchronized calendar was the biggest problem. That’s the reason why the three players weren’t able to come and that’s the reason why there’s a conflict in coach Franz’ schedules,” said Eala.

“The calibers of the teams in Iran were almost equal. We could have done a lot better with the addition of Bringas, Salva and Pascual. Our 18-point loss to Korea wasn’t the true reflection of the game, and we could have beaten Lebanon during the preliminary round had we played with a killer’s instinct,” Eala added.

“We can’t say what would have happened if we topped our group. Instead of playing two No. 1 teams in the quarterfinals, we should have taken on two No. 2s.”

Eala said they’re now scheduling a summit of league officials to discuss, among others, the problem of tournament calendar.

Eala also said Tao Corp. and Nokia are keeping their commitment to help SBP’s national youth program.

With practically all the members of Pumaren’s team no longer eligible for the next youth squad, Eala said they’re likely to tap players from the National Youth Training Center run by coach Eric Altamirano and also funded by Tao Corp. and Nokia.

Some members of the 2008 RP Youth team, on the other hand, will move up the men’s national pool.

“Some are potential talents for the men’s team. We want them developed and still be part of the picture,” said Eala.