PBA turns down BAP demands

The PBA return stint in the Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea next year hit a snag as league officials turned down a number of items the Basketball Association of the Philippines wanted to be included in their Memorandum of Agreement.

PBA commissioner Jun Bernardino reiterated in a letter to BAP president Tiny Literal yesterday they’re ready to play for flag and country in the Pusan Games but said they couldn’t sign their appointment papers due to some unacceptable proposals by the BAP.

A reliable source said the PBA board of governors in a meeting Monday night at the Manila Golf Club found absurd some of the items sought by the BAP, including one seeking PBA subsidy for the stints and upkeep of the national youth and the women’s teams.

The PBA shot this matter down together with some activities the BAP was planning to undertake involving the Asian Games team.

Aside from a stint in the Jones Cup next year, the BAP apparently wanted the Asiad squad to play in a series of exhibition games probably against foreign teams.

But the PBA stressed it wanted blanket authority over the team as it intends to give the would-be national coach the full control insofar as the planning and scheduling of the team preparation for the games are concerned.

Literal said he has yet to receive Bernardino’s letter but claimed they are flexible with their counter-proposal and hope to reach an agreement with the PBA.

One item in the BAP proposal which is acceptable to the PBA is the naming of an amateur coach to work as one of the assistant coaches of the team. In this regard, the PBA wants the BAP to nominate several names where the would-be head coach can get his choice.

The BAP listed no name in its proposal but it may bat for Boyzie Zamar.

There were amateur coaches who had worked with the team in the past, including Perry Ronquillo in the Hiroshima Games in 1994 and Aric del Rosario in Bangkok in 1998.

Meanwhile, Sta. Lucia Realty presses its bid for the top seeding in the quarterfinals even as Red Bull seeks to stay in the hunt for a twice-to-beat incentive in the next round as they take on slumping rivals tonight at the resumption of the PBA Governors Cup hostilities at the Philsports Arena.

The Thunder, in the middle of the pack with a 5-5 win-loss record, tangle with the Alaska Aces at 5:05 p.m. while the Realtors, the league leader with an 8-2 slate, tackle the Hotdogs at 7:10. – With report from Joey Villar