Standing up for Gilas

The dream is for the Philippines to qualify for the 12-nation basketball tournament at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and there are two ways to make it happen. First is to top the FIBA Asia Championships in Changsha, China, on Sept. 23-Oct. 3. Second is to earn one of three Olympic wildcard slots via a new qualifying system.

The first window is cut-and-dried. It’s the title or bust. That means Gilas has to hurdle host China, defending champion Iran, nemesis South Korea, comebacking Lebanon (it was under FIBA suspension in 2013) and resurgent Japan for the championship. That’s a tall order considering the limited training time coach Tab Baldwin has with Gilas. But it’s not a mission impossible.

The second window is available in case the Philippines fails to capture the championship in Changsha but it must finish second or third to book a berth in one of three Olympic qualifying tournaments. FIBA has tweaked the process from London in 2012 to Rio next year. For London, FIBA held a qualifying tournament for 12 countries – two from Africa, two from Asia, four from Europe, three from the Americas and one from Oceania. Representing Asia were Jordan and South Korea for finishing 2-3 at the 2011 FIBA Asia Championships. The top three placers of the tournament got tickets to London, namely Russia, Lithuania and Nigeria. Russia went on to claim the bronze medal in London.

For Rio, FIBA will stage three separate Olympic qualifying tournaments consisting of six teams each so the entries will increase from 12 to 18. The winner of each tournament advances to Rio. Details of the tournament format are not known at the moment. It’s not certain how the Asian teams will be grouped and where the three tournaments will be staged. With the increase of entries, it’s also not known if Asia will be given more than two slots.

One thing is certain, however. Gilas must be represented proudly by the most competitive unit available.  When it comes to wearing the national colors, there should never be any hesitation. Playing for one’s country is an honor that’s bestowed only to a chosen few. So that when the opportunity comes, every player must be ready to stand up for the country. It’s like going to war. Every able-bodied citizen will want to be counted on in the battlefield. When you’re fighting for flag and country, it’s like you’re fighting for your honor. Nobody wants to shy away from doing his share for the country.

Assembling the most competitive unit available for Gilas in pursuing the Olympic dream hasn’t been easy. JuneMar Fajardo and Japeth Aguilar are out with injuries. L. A. Tenorio is begging for understanding. He has contributed so much for Gilas in the past and because his performance in the PBA was sub-par last campaign, wants to rest up for the coming season. L. A. shouldn’t be blamed for this decision which he described as the most difficult he’s ever made in his basketball career. Marcio Lassiter initially told Baldwin he would join Gilas but later changed his mind when he flew to the US to be with his mother, stricken with cancer. Marc Pingris was invited by Baldwin after he had arranged for a family trip to France where his father lives and asked to be excused from camp until his return. But when Pingris came back, he also backed out.

There was talk that Rain Or Shine allowed only one player to be taken by Baldwin. Apparently, the restriction had to do with the experience of almost losing Paul Lee to another franchise after his Gilas stint exposed him to other teams. Rain Or Shine later told Baldwin he could choose from either Gabe Norwood or Lee but only one could be tapped.

Lack of unity is apparent among team representatives in the PBA when it comes to lending players to Gilas. They’re not all on the same page. Perhaps, the reluctance to lend players stems from the fact that there doesn’t seem to be a permanent solution to the perennial problem of stocking the Gilas pool. Teams are being asked to perpetually sacrifice to lend their players to Gilas when they should willingly allow it.

Among the PBA teams, seven contributed players – Globalport (Terrence Romeo), Barako Bull (J. C. Intal), Talk ‘N’ Text (Jayson Castro, Ranidel de Ocampo, Matt Ganuelas-Rosser, Kelly Williams), Meralco (Gary David), NLEX (Asi Taulava, Aldrech Ramos), Alaska (Sonny Thoss, Dondon Hontiveros, Calvin Abueva) and Rain Or Shine (Gabe Norwood). Two non-PBA players in the pool are Troy Rosario and Moala Tautuaa. In the original roster were Fajardo, Tenorio and Pingris.

With no player from the three San Miguel Group teams, the speculation is the players were restrained from joining. But PBA president Chito Salud said there were no restrictions, that the players were made to decide for themselves. Fajardo would’ve readily joined if he could and no doubt, if he did, it would’ve been easier for others from the San Miguel Group to follow. What was a simple case of a withdrawal due to injury was transformed into a politically sensitive issue because of corporate rivalry so that players became reluctant to cross party lines.