We continue to celebrate Gilas’ miracle moments at the Hangzhou Asian Games and why not? It was the Philippines’ first Asiad gold medal in men’s basketball in 61 years and that’s reason to be euphoric. But when the high-fives and horn tooting die down, it’ll be time to figure out what’s next because there are more battles to be fought in the horizon.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said the other day he’ll be conferring with SBP officials next week to study the calendar for the coming year. Once the calendar is laid out, SBP will decide which are the priority competitions and which to invite PBA participation. It won’t just be for a few months. It’ll be for the whole year. PBA will then review what’s on the table and make its recommendations to the Board of Governors. Note that PBA will play only two conferences this season and intends to roll out the usual three in the 49th campaign which will begin sometime in the third quarter.
SBP also has to meet with UAAP and NCAA officials to determine a coordinated schedule of games so as not to conflict with international tournaments where collegiate players may be tapped to serve. This can’t be a cut-and-paste type of process. It involves careful coordination, synchronization and cooperation. As the national governing body for basketball, SBP has the authority to align every league under its umbrella. Whether it can be done is a test of SBP’s leadership.
Aside from coordinating calendars, SBP faces two other tasks – appointing a national coach and creating a pool of naturalized players from whom to pick for Gilas duty. Coach Tim Cone is the perfect choice to stay at the Gilas helm. He could remain Ginebra coach and in between international gigs, could conduct Monday sessions with a select group of Gilas players to keep sharp. Whenever the call comes to form a national team, SBP wouldn’t start from scratch.
Justin Brownlee’s fate is in the hands of the Olympic Council of Asia and FIBA. He has tested positive for an ingredient in cannabis and although it isn’t prohibited in the NBA, it is in the PBA and FIBA. A decision will soon be made as to the length of his suspension. While on suspension, Brownlee isn’t able to even practice with Ginebra. The February window for the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers is coming and Brownlee may not be available. The Philippines is bracketed with New Zealand, Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong.
As early as now, SBP must start assembling a pool of prospects for naturalization. An easy way to start is to examine the capabilities, willingness and drive of every eligible import in the coming PBA Commissioner’s Cup. Not all are possible candidates as Converge’s Tom Vodanovic has played for the New Zealand national team, NLEX’ Thomas Robinson for Lebanon, TNT’s Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for Jordan and Blackwater’s Chris Ortiz for Puerto Rico. It will take time for the House of Representatives and Senate to approve bills for naturalization but the process must commence sooner than later. The Philippines’ first game in the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers is against Hong Kong on Feb. 22.
There’s a lot of work to be done to relive the golden memories of the Asian Games. The country has savored the taste of good fortune after a long wait and Filipino fans are eager to sustain the momentum.