SBP welcomes Pingris' change of heart but leaves decision to Tab

MANILA, Philippines -- Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Sonny Barrios welcomed Star forward Marc Pingris’ decision to reconsider joining Gilas Pilipinas, saying the “veteran forward’s leadership and heart” are attributes needed in the national team’s quest for an Olympic berth.

“Magandang balita iyan kasi alam naman natin na big addition sa atin si Ping, lalo na yung leadership niya,” Barrios told Philstar.com on Wednesday.

READ: Pingris gets green light to suit up for Gilas

Barrios said the Filipino fans can’t easily forget the big, fighting heart Pingris displayed before his own countrymen during Gilas’ 86-79 victory over South Korea in the 2013 Fiba-Asia men’s championships at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Playing through an ankle injury, the 6-foot-5 Pingris rose to the occasion, stepping up big in the absence of injured naturalized player Marcus Douthit on the way to scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Pingris’ herculean effort helped Gilas break the so-called Korean curse and nailing a Fiba World Cup berth for the country for the first time since 1974.

“Nakita naman ng mga kababayan natin in the flesh how he played despite nursing an injury.  Nandiyan siya talaga handang maglaro para sa Gilas,” he added.

Barrios, who once served as commissioner of the PBA, said he will be sending an official communication to Gilas coach Tab Baldwin immediately regarding Pingris’ decision.

But the soft-spoken SBP executive explained that it will be up to the American-Kiwi coach to decide if Pingris will still be admitted to Gilas, considering that the national side is now in Estonia to play three tunepu matches with Iceland, Netherlands and the host country.

“We will be communicating this latest development on Ping to coach Tab. Then we will see how we can work this out,” said Barrios.

“We will have to get the input first from coach Tab, but I will be leaving it up to him to decide,” Barrios added.