Narvasa doubts MBA cagers inclusion in SEAG list

Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) commissioner Ogie Narvasa yesterday expressed surprise over the reported submission of an MBA team selection to the Kuala Lumpur Southeast Asian Games organizers, saying the league had already disbanded the same squad that won the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) championship.

Narvasa also reiterated the players had been recalled by their mother squads even as he stressed the players should not be involved in the political maneuverings between leaders of the two Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) factions.

"The players should not be subjected to physical and emotional stress brought about by their extra training schedules apart from their mother squads’ schedules. Also they have been caught in political crossfire that somehow affected their outlook of the national team because of this BAP leadership question," Narvasa said.

This came about as Philippine Olympic Committee president Celso Dayrit said the country can only participate in the basketball competitions if and when the FIBA suspension on the BAP is lifted.

Dayrit issued the statement in reaction to reports that the Philippines is going to ask the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games organizers to allow its men’s and women’s teams to compete despite the sanction imposed by the world’s governing body in basketball.

"We will not do that and I don’t think the Kuala Lumpur organizers will allow that because the other countries will surely protest," said Dayrit. "The suspension will have to be lifted first before our teams can be able to play."

In the first place, Malaysia is bent on winning the overall SEA Games crown. Therefore, there’s no logic in the host country allowing the Philippines, the men’s defending champion, to participate and, most probably, deny the Malaysians a possible gold medal.

Dayrit said the SEA Games Task Force decided to include the men’s and women’s basketball lineups to the official list of Filipino athletes so there won’t be any technicality once the FIBA suspension is lifted before the Games.

"What’s important is that we sent a lineup. So, if the suspension is lifted, we can play. It would be useless to have the suspension lifted if we, in the first place, did not submit a lineup," added Dayrit. — With report from Abac Cordero