Top cagers beg off from RP team

Several players may not be available to suit up for the Philippine team defending its crown in the Brunei Sultan Cup with most of the PBA ballclubs now in the thick of their respective buildups for the 2006-07 PBA season.

Talk n Text and Air21 are two teams which may not be able to lend players to the national squad due to conflict of schedule with the Brunei joust slated Aug. 19-27.

Asi Taulava, Jimmy Alapag and Don Allado are the Talk n Text players and Niño Canaleta and brothers Yancy and Ranidel de Ocampo Air21 players being considered by coach Chot Reyes for the RP team which is to defend its crown in Brunei.

"We have supported the PBA for the national cause for so long. We may pass up this time," said Air21 team manager Lito Alvarez.

"We’re among the worst performing teams in the PBA right now. We’re looking to improve and we have a commitment to play in China," said Talk n Text governor Ricky Vargas.

"I understand the league’s commitment to form the best possible national team. If there will be no conflict in the schedule, then we may allow our players to play in Brunei," Vargas added.

Reyes can’t tap Barangay Ginebra players either since the Kings are also competing in Brunei.

Reyes and the San Miguel Beermen are departing for Taiwan today to play in the Asian Professional Basketball Championship there. The national mentor flies directly to Brunei after the Taiwan tournament.

Only six players in Mike Cortez, Willie Miller, Sonny Thoss, Billy Mamaril, Denok Miranda and Taulava showed up in the RP pool’s first practice session Wednesday since arriving from the Qatar invitational tourney.

Before leaving for Brunei, the RP team is to play Lebanon in two exhibition games here. The first game is set at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Astrodome and the second at 7 p.m. on Aug. 16 at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Lebanon squad is planing in today for the final stage of its buildup for the World Championship in Saitama, Japan set to start Aug. 19.

The Lebanese were able to sneak out of their country in the second week of the fierce Israel attack and pitched camp in Syria. They then went to Jordan to play a series of exhibition games against Jordan, Slovenia and Canada. They beat Canada by three points a few days back.