No team to Doha sans PBA cagers?

Forget about the Asian Games.

Sooner or later, the country’s top sports officials, particularly those with basketball, will have to make this official after the Philippine Basketball Association the other day said sending its players to this year’s Asian Games is a foregone conclusion.

The PBA keeping its doors closed on the Dec. 1 to 15 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar means that the country can no longer send its best team to the quadrennial event.

The PBA, through chairman Ricky Vargas and commissioner Noli Eala, said sending PBA players to Doha will disrupt the league’s schedule in its new season that starts in October.

Regarding the formation of the national team, the PBA’s role is limited or centered on FIBA (International Basketballl Federation) events like the Asian or World Championships leading to a possible stint in the Olympics.

"If we cannot send a competitive team to Doha, then we should not send a team at all, and prepare a competitive team for the next Asian Games, not to mention the qualifying games to the World Championship and the Olympics," said Basketball Association of the Philippines president Joey Lina yesteday.

Lina’s statement jives with those recently issued by Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco and Philippine Sports Commission chairman Butch Ramirez that only the best team possible should be given the chance to represent the country in Doha. Bernie Atienza, Pilipinas Basketball president, is on the same page.

"If we cannot send our best team to Doha, then why don’t we just concentrate on future battles that lie ahead. Why don’t we focus first on the lifting of the FIBA suspension, then the Southeast Asian Games next year, and then the FIBA events?" he said.

Atienza is part of a three-man panel, along with Lina and Manny V. Pangilinan, tasked to help in the creation of a new, unified basketball association that will take the place of the BAP and PB, and lead to the lifting of the FIBA suspension.

The three-man panel will meet anew today to go over the constitution and by-laws of the soon-to-be-formed association. Then the board will be created next week, leading to an election.

The meeting, actually the second since the panel was formed last Saturday, will be held at the Manila Hotel starting at 6 p.m. Pangilinan is in Hong Kong for a business meeting but is expected to attend the meeting.

The group will then seek recognition from the POC and FIBA.