Nationals to play tune-up games in PBA Fiesta Cup

The Philippine team will make occasional appearances in the PBA Fiesta Cup and will be pitted against PBA ball clubs or invited foreign teams in tune-up matches as part of their buildup for the tough Olympic qualifier in Japan in July.

"Whenever the RP team is at home, back from training abroad, it will play on the Thursday schedule of the Fiesta Cup. Thursday games are set mostly in the province or in non-traditional Metro Manila PBA playing venues," said PBA operations chief Rickie Santos.

Tune-up games in the course of the Fiesta Cup could well provide the Nationals extra boost in their preparation for the FIBA-Asia championship in Tokoshima, Japan.

So far, the RP team is confirmed to go on a two-week training in the AIB camp in Los Angeles and compete in SEABA championship in May and in a Doha invitational tournament in the first week of July.

The Nationals are set to play Jordan, Lebanon and Qatar in Doha.

RP team coach Chot Reyes, however, is having second thoughts on playing in the Champions Cup qualifier in Indonesia. If the Nationals miss the event, they are automatically out of the Champions Cup proper in Iran.

Still up for approval is Reyes’ plan to bring the Nationals to Australia after their two-week training in the US in the latter part of this month.

The direction of the team is likely to be discussed by the BAP Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas board of trustees in its two-day planning session which was to start yesterday at the Tagaytay Highlands.

.Reyes, however, may not be able to do his original plan of starting the training on Monday at the Moro Lorenzo Center inside Ateneo with most of the players on vacation in the US.

Reyes said the more practical thing to do is start the training in the AIB camp.

With the nationals allowed to concentrate on their stint with the RP team, Santos said they made some revisions in the Fiesta Cup format and calendar.

Instead of nine games, the schedule is now down to eight in a week. The semis playoff, meanwhile, is back to best-of-seven from best-of-five.

The PBA earlier shortened the Fiesta Cup format and calendar to finish at least a month before the FIBA-Asia championship.

"No need to shorten the schedule now with the Nationals already pulled out from their mother teams," said Santos.