Phl Patriots to pursue FIBA ban on Alexander

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Patriots team manager Erick Arejola confirmed yesterday the ABL franchise will seek a global ban for volatile import Chris Alexander from FIBA after leaving the country without permission early Thursday morning and ruled out a comeback by the former Barangay Ginebra center.

“What Alexander did was very unprofessional,” said Arejola. “We’ve informed (team owner) Mr. (Mikee) Romero about this development even as he is in London. Because Alexander left without permission, we will write FIBA and request a global ban. We will not issue a release for Alexander and he will need our release to be able to play for any other team under FIBA rules.”

Alexander, 31, had asked Arejola for a meeting at 5 p.m. Thursday. He never showed up. “Alexander skipped practice the day before because of back problems although he practiced hard the previous two days,” said Arejola. “He asked for a meeting to discuss some concerns. But that morning, he left his condo (The Orchard at Eastwood) at 4:30 a.m. using a rented van. Our driver was supposed to pick him up for practice at 9 a.m. The cook in his unit phoned the driver to say he was gone.”

In his twitter account, Alexander claimed he left a facebook message for Patriots assistant team manager Benjo Flores. “I sent (Flores) a text and message on facebook that I am going to attend court cases which I was gonna return next week,” he tweeted. “Why did I leave half of my stuff there? Joining this team (Patriots) was the worst decision ever made by me. I did not want to be in the team but I wanted to return for bad and play in the Philippines.”

Arejola said if Alexander flew out in good faith, why did he rent his own van, take off when nobody was looking and even set up a meeting late that afternoon. “The message on facebook came after he left,” said Arejola. “It is true he left behind a piece of luggage which we’re returning to him. We don’t want him back.”

Arejola said it’s not the Patriots practice to withhold an import’s passport. “That’s not our style,” he said. “We operate on the basis of trust. We’re all professionals. Even A. J. (Anthony Johnson) holds on to his passport. We gave Alexander a round-trip business class ticket from St. Louis to Manila and back. His return trip was for July 1. That ticket set us back about $10,000. We also gave him an advance of $5,000.”

The condo unit for Alexander was ready for three weeks but he kept postponing his arrival. There were four flight misses before Alexander finally planed in. It wasn’t certain why he was delayed. Someone said he was attending to a child custody case involving a daughter from a divorced wife. Another said he was just too depressed to play again after his Ginebra release last February. Alexander played only once for the Patriots, compiling 16 points and 12 rebounds in a 93-78 loss to San Miguel Beer last Saturday.

“After the game, I spoke with the guys and told them to stay positive,” said Arejola. “I told them to forget about the loss and focus on the long-term goal of winning the championship. I thought everyone committed to our objective, including Alexander.”

Without Alexander, Arejola said the Patriots will recall Nakiea Miller but there appears to be a slight hitch. Under ABL rules, every team must stick to its lineup after 16 games. The Patriots are now over the limit. Arejola said he will appeal for Miller’s reinstatement since he was in the Patriots original roster.