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THE
Philippine roster that was presented glossily to the
media Tuesday may not be the club’s final make that will
play in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (Seaba)
Youth Championship.
Not only
because the lineup—made up of the future of RP
basketball—is yet to be reduced from 17 (that appeared
Tuesday) to 15 (by mid-April), but more so because
there’s a chance foreign reinforcement may come in.
Filipino-foreign reinforcement, that is.
Head
coach Franz Pumaren readily acknowledged that a US trip
in the coming weeks, that is meant for training, may
also be used as time to see what the Filipino-American
community has to offer in terms of basketball talent.
“We’re
not closing our doors,” Pumaren said, responding to the
issue of possibly upgrading the youth team.
It’s a
practical move considering that behind the splendid
presentation Tuesday of the 17-something-and-below team,
there was something sorely lacking—star power.
The
likes of high-school phenoms Ryan Buenafe, Arvie Bringas
and Nico Salva declined to be part of the team,
reportedly citing they wanted to prioritize their
academics in the coming school season. Their absence
leaves the youth squad with talent holes to fill, which
means federation officials are open to carrying out Plan
B.
But
Pumaren, who said he had already looked at a potential
RP youth member who was raised in
Canada, noted the team doesn’t intend to suit up any ordinary
foreign-raised Filipino.
“We want
the player to be interested, not just be like some
mercenary,” Pumaren said.
“We even
want them to be based here [in the Philippines]. That
would be a validation of their interest to play for the
team. Most people do not approve of the notion that we
should recruit from abroad, that’s why we will be
setting guidelines.”
The 17
players that were introduced Monday include four from
provincial high schools. The names include Gabriel Banal
of Xavier, Jairold Flores of Iloilo Central Commercial,
Ryan Roose Garcia of Far Eastern U, Frank Golla of
Ateneo High School, Mark Joel de Guzman of St. Benilde,
Mark Anthony Lopez of University of the Philippines, Jed
Bryan Manguera of De La Salle Zobel, Samuel Joseph
Marata of UP Integrated School, Jaypee Mendoza of Tarlac
State U, Mark Jovet Mendoza of National U, Philip
Paredes of Sacred Heart of Jesus in Cagayan de Oro,
Jerome Ramos of Jose Rizal U, Jhon Rey Sumid of NU,
Jeric Allen Teng of Xavier, Joseph Terso of NU and
Joseph Tolentino of UPIS.
Pumaren’s coaching staff includes brother Dindo, Jack
Santiago, Sandy Arespacochaga and Dan Rose.
The
Junior Nationals are included in the Philippine
Basketball League Unity Cup tournament. The Seaba event
is on May 1 in Malaysia, while the Asian Youth
Championships is scheduled in September in Iran.
Tao
Corp. founder Jun Sy and Nokia country manager William
Hamilton-Whyte were in attendance, representing the
team’s chief supporters.
“The
most important thing is to establish chemistry among
[the team members],” BAP-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas
secretary-general Patrick Gregorio said. |
