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PATRICK
GREGORIO, the executive director of Basketball
Association of the Philippines-Samahang Basketbol ng
Pilipinas (BAP-SBP), laughed off rumors that a top
international basketball official had something to do
with the impending nonparticipation of the country in
the coming Jones Cup in Taipei.
Rumors
circulated Tuesday that Gregorio’s run-in with
International Basketball Federation Asia
secretary-general Dato Yeoh Choo Hook is what is keeping
the Philippine team’s stint in the July Jones Cup in a
bind.
“That’s
not true, far from the truth,” said Gregorio Tuesday as
the BAP-SBP was awaiting official word from the Jones
Cup organizers if a Harbour Centre-backed squad would be
allowed to compete in the tournament.
“I was
even in
Malaysia
last month and had dinner with Dato. Malayo ‘yan,”
Gregorio added.
The
BAP-SBP official got annoyed with Dato Yeoh in the last
Southeast Asian Basketball Association (Seaba)
Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia, after the Malaysian
allegedly eluded officials from the Philippine squad,
also represented by Harbour Centre, who were trying to
appeal the inclusion of Nigerian Sam Ekwe on the roster
as an import.
The
confusion left the RP 5 hapless and finished only second
in the tournament where the Filipinos were picked to
win.
Dato
Yeoh is known to be a close ally of the beleaguered BAP
secretary-general Graham Lim and that raised an ugly
speculation the two connived to make it difficult for
the
Philippines
to participate in the Jones Cup. But Lim stressed “it’s
all rumors.”
The
organizers of the 30th Jones Cup told BAP-SBP that they
want a selection of Philippine Basketball Association (PBA)
players to represent the Philippines in the tournament
mainly because the pros would attract more Filipino
workers in Taipei to watch the games.
“Walang
kinalaman ang Jones Cup sa Seaba. Ang Jones
Cup malapit sa PBA,” said Gregorio.
Harbour
Centre was again tapped to represent the country in the
tournament and team owner Mikee Romero said Tuesday, in
the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at
the Shakey’s United Nations Avenue, that they are ready
to form a squad any time.
“Coach
Junel [Baculi] told me that there’s really a slim chance
to win there because of the short preparation and we
really don’t have tall players to compete against the
other teams,” said Romero.
“We want
to join the Jones Cup just to gauge the level of
competition there, para makita natin kung nasaan tayo
with this kind of lineup ’pag dating sa Asian
level,” the amateur basketball godfather added.
Three-time Most Valuable Player Jason Castro, Solomon
Mercado, Beau Belga, Jeff Chan, Jonathan Fernandez, Chad
Alonzo and Rob Reyes are being eyed to form the core of
the team. At least four PBA players are also on the wish
list of the BAP-SBP to beef up the squad.
Team
manager Erick Arejola said they are also looking at the
availability of former Ateneo stalwart Japeth Aguilar,
the six-foot-nine athletic forward who played two games
in the
Western Kentucky
University
varsity team in the last US NCAA basketball tournament.
But as
of late Tuesday, Gregorio said that the Jones Cup
organizers have yet to give them the go signal to join
the competition with the kind of lineup he is
proposing—which would be without PBA stars.
“We
should get the advisory within this week. Otherwise, we
have to skip the tournament,” Gregorio said. |
