THE Philippines, after all, is fielding a men’s basketball team to the 18th Asian Games that Indonesia is hosting in two weeks’ time in Jakarta.
The announcement was made in a press conference on Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. In attendance were the country’s top 3 basketball and sports officials—Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) President Al Panlilio, Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Chairman and Philippine Olympic Committee President Ricky Vargas and PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial.
All three acknowledge the clamor for the country to send a team to Jakarta and were in unison in also crediting Special Assistant to the President Bong Go as the principal catalyst to what is best described as a change of heart by the basketball honchos.
“[Secretary]Bong Go appealed and talked to the PBA and to the SBP for us to see if we can consider our participation,” Vargas told the press conference staged before Game Five of the Commissioner’s Cup Finals between San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra.
The SBP has earlier withdrawn participation in the Asian Games and along with the POC, have already communicated the decision to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Indonesia Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC).
But Vargas said the OCA and INASGOC have already agreed to include the Philippines on the men’s basketball program through an e-mail the POC received on Sunday—just several minutes after sending a message appealing for the country’s reinstatement.
As planned, NLEX’s Yeng Guiao will be the head coach of the team composed of the core of Rain or Shine and reinforced by PBA and Gilas Cadet players.
The pool includes Rain or Shine’s Maverick Ahanmisi, Chris Tiu, Gabe Norwood, James Yap, Beau Belga and Raymund Almazan; San Miguel Corp.’s Paul Lee of Magnolia and Christian Standhardinger of San Miguel Beer; GlobalPort’s Stanley Pringle; Blackwater’s Poy Erram; TNT’s Don Trollano and NLEX’s Asi Taulava.
The cadet players are Kobe Paras and Ricci Rivero. Rain or Shine’s Caloy Garcia will be Guiao’s chief deputy.
The final 12 will be known before the team departs for Jakarta on August 14—only four days before the opening ceremony.
Guiao admitted most, if not all, of the players are unaware of their inclusion of the team and stressed they have to cram in training.
“We will start training tomorrow [today],” Guiao said. “Time is really short. But that is also one reason that we selected the core of Rain or Shine. They are familiar with me and I am familiar with them.”