Clarkson to play in 3x3 World Cup?

MANILA, Philippines — SBP executive director Sonny Barrios said the other day he’s exploring the possibility of bringing in Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson, a Fil-Am, to play for the host country at the FIBA 3x3 World Cup in the Philippine Arena on June 8-12.

“It’s a long shot,” said Barrios. “With Jordan, it’s not just about his OK but also the approval of the NBA and the Lakers. Then, there’s the matter of getting his insurance policy. The 3x3 rule on eligibility isn’t as strict as in the World Cup. For as long as a player has the passport of the country he or she is representing, it’s a go. At the moment, Jordan is eligible only as a naturalized player for the Philippines. I’m now in the process of clearing with FIBA how many naturalized players may be lined up for the 3x3 event.”

The relaxed 3x3 eligibility rule opens the door for the Philippines to enlist Fil-foreigners who are Philippine passport holders, regardless of when they were issued. That means Fil-foreigners like Stanley Pringle, Chris Newsome, Mo Tautuaa and Chris Ross are eligible to play in the 3x3 World Cup for the Philippines. 

“We’ll clear with coach Chot (Reyes) how to approach the recruitment of players,” said Barrios. “We’ll put our minds together on this because it’s a major event we’re hosting and we want to do a good job both on and off the court. It’s possible we’ll form a pool of eight to 10 players. For the 5x5 tournaments, the pool starts with 24. We’ll begin to discuss the options after we host Japan on Feb. 25 in the second window of the FIBA Asia/Pacific qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.”

GlobalPort’s Terrence Romeo has been invited to join the pool for the 3x3 World Cup. Another possible choice is San Miguel Beer’s Marcio Lassiter who has previously played for Gilas. A 3x3 team with Romeo or Pringle, Lassiter, Clarkson and Japeth Aguilar would be competitive even at the highest level.  At the 2014 FIBA 3x3 World Tour Finals, Romeo joined Aldrech Ramos, KG Canaleta and Rey Guevarra in leading Manila West, representing the Philippines, to fifth place in the 12-team tournament in Tokyo.

PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said with the league lifting restrictions on recruiting players for Gilas, it’s critical to find out who will play in the 3x3 World Cup as soon as possible. “While there are no more restrictions in terms of player limits, Gilas has to get the approval of the player and his team before lining him up,” he said. “As for the PBA, we will make sure there are no conflicts in playing schedule during a FIBA event.” 

Asked if he’ll play in the 3x3 World Cup, Lassiter said it’s always an honor to play for the country. His eyes widened when told of the possibility of playing with Clarkson. “We also need a big guy who can post up and shoot from the outside and who’s quick, someone like Japeth,” he said.

Barrios said no nomination has been submitted as to who will coach the 3x3 team. Eric Altamirano has been in charge of the 3x3 program for years. Ronnie Magsanoc was recently mentioned as a coaching candidate. Barrios said he’s awaiting the final list of 20 men’s and 20 women’s teams from FIBA. In the initial roster of 20 men’s teams, the US is not included. Defending champion Serbia heads the cast. New Zealand, Jordan, Japan, Brazil, Croatia, Russia and Nigeria are among the men’s squads. The US will participate in the women’s division where the defending champion is Russia.

Barrios said FIBA 3x3 event manager Ignacio Soriano of Spain is arriving late next month for an ocular inspection of the Philippine Arena facilities. FIBA 3x3 managing director Alex Sanchez, also of Spain, was recently in Manila to announce the staging of the 3x3 World Cup at the 55,000-seat Philippine Arena.

“The Philippine Arena complex has 700 cottages available for our visitors and guests during the 3x3 World Cup,” said Barrios. “Each cottage has two beds with air-conditioning and a TV. There will be more than enough room for 160 players, four in each of the 20 men’s and 20 women’s teams, about 25 FIBA working staff and some 220 with the SBP organizing committee.”