PBA tackles Gilas program

The PBA Board of Governors will explore adjusting the league’s schedule the rest of the season to allow more training time for Gilas players to prepare for the FIBA World Cup in its monthly meeting at the PBA office in Libis starting 11 this morning.

National coach Chot Reyes will attend the meeting and is expected to submit his training program for Gilas. He may also request approval to add specific players to the training pool which now consists of 12 PBA cagers and naturalized citizen Marcus Douthit.

At the moment, the PBA calendar is set to finish the season on Aug. 13 assuming the playoffs go the full distance. That would leave only two weeks of training for Gilas to get ready for the FIBA World Cup in Spain on Aug. 30-Sept. 14. The limit for the Philippine Cup to end is Feb. 26 while the Commissioner’s Cup is slated on March 7-May 21 and the Governors Cup on June 1-Aug. 13.

A league source disclosed that studies are being undertaken to compress the season by shortening the different playoff series and scheduling daily games so that the third conference finishes off anywhere between July 13 to 25. The US is reportedly opening boot camp with a 28-man pool in the first week of July. Korea, the FIBA-Asia Championships third placer last year, will begin training in April.

PBA chairman Ramon Segismundo said the other day there are several items in the Board agenda but the main focus is the Gilas program. “We’re looking for a win-win agreement with Chot,” he said. “The challenge is how to come up with a desirable outcome for all parties concerned. I think there has to be a shared ownership of Gilas with the PBA. We’re hoping to find a perfect solution but we know it’s not easy. This requires understanding and involvement of all parties to find that solution. We need to be resolute in addressing all the different issues.”

Segismundo said the Board is aware of the burn-out factor. If the season is compressed, the Gilas players from various teams will be pushed to the limit and likely report to training camp in no condition to go full blast. “We’ve looked into the possibility of postponing the third conference but if we do that, we’ll start it in October and end in December,” he said. “That would be a drastic realignment of our schedule. Our perfect solution must take into consideration fulfilling the expectations of all stakeholders.”

What bracket the Philippines will be drawn to join in the FIBA World Cup should not make a difference in Gilas’ mindset, pointed out Segismundo. “Obviously, we want to make an impact in Spain,” he said. “We’re not going to Spain to be tourists. We’re going to battle with the mindset that despite the odds, we’ll go all out to compete whether we’re in a strong or weak bracket. We’re aware that this could be the last time the PBA will be asked to release players for Gilas. In the next World Cup cycle, it looks like the SBP will need to form a national pool of its own because of the new qualifying format of six home-and-way windows over a two year period. In our Board meeting, we will need an open and honest discussion on what it will take for everyone to support Gilas because national interest is involved.”

Segismundo raised the possibility of bringing the Gilas program to the attention of the PBA team owners. “Let’s face it, the Governors work for the owners,” he said. “Perhaps, the final decision on how to tackle this issue can come from a convenors group made up of team owners. The Board could embark on the process to reach for an optimal solution and seek guidance from the convenors group. Everyone must be heard, not just one voice. We can’t default to just one vote. A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to speak with (San Miguel Corp. president) Mr. (Ramon) Ang and he supported the idea of a convenors group. Mr. Ang was very positive. If necessary, we could activate the convenors group so the team owners can get together to arrive at a final solution.”

The PBA chairman said he realizes even the US team will train for a longer period than Gilas if the season ends from July 13 to 25. “But from the standpoint of the Asian Games, we’ll get two months of training,” he noted. Gilas will represent the country at the Asian Games in Incheon on Sept. 19-Oct. 4. The Philippines has not won a gold in basketball at the Asiad since 1962 and the last medal, a bronze, was won by the Centennial team coached by Tim Cone in 1998.

In Spain, the US will send 12 players with coach Mike Krzyzewski. The 28-man pool includes LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony but they won’t play in the World Cup, instead making themselves available for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. USA Basketball chairman Jerry Coleangelo said players may be added to the pool over the next three years. Others in the pool are Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Kevin Love, Deron Williams, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, Tyson Chandler, Andre Igoudala, Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, Blake Griffin, Paul George, Steph Curry, David Lee, Klay Thompson, LaMarcus Aldridge, Damian Lillard, DeMarcus Cousins, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Bradley Beal, Kyle Korver, Andre Drummond, Kenneth Faried and Gordon Hayward.