Clash of schedules

The Philippine men’s national basketball team will not be able to take advantage of the invitation from the Lithuanian Basketball Federation to play friendlies there right before the final FIBA Olympic Qualifier (OQT) in neighboring Latvia. A clash of schedules will not allow the team to leave in time to match the availability of Lithuania, the 10th-best team in the world according to the latest FIBA rankings.

After receiving such a warm welcome in the Philippines and seeing the passion of local fans during last year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup, Lithuanian Basketball Federation (Lietuvos Krepsinio Federacija) secretary-general Dr. Mindaugas Balciunas thought it would be a good idea to invite the Philippines over for a series of friendlies right before the OQT, sort of a quid pro quo. First, Lithuania was already qualified, so they had time to spare. Secondly, they know Latvian basketball better than anyone else, having lost to Latvia in the World Cup and sharing a history that goes back decades. Both basketball-loving countries had been occupied by the former Soviet Union in 1940, and declared their independence more than half a century later. Lastly, Latvia is literally across the border from Lithuania, so there would be no more adjustments in terms of time differences and weather.

The original invitation was for June 5 to 15, which included a pair of friendlies against the Lithuanian men’s team before its NBA players arrived. However, this left a big gap right before the OQT, so Gilas Pilipinas would not have anything to do for almost two weeks. To fill in the time and sweeten the pot, Balciunas offered to invite other countries like Belgium and Cameroon to play against the Philippines. They would be competing in another group, anyway, so it was also convenient for them to arrive early and get some tune-up matches in. In addition, the Lithuanian under-20 team would also be available to further fill in the schedule. They also have Euro Cup and US NCAA players in their line-up, so they won’t be pushovers.

The Lithuanian team is scheduled to leave for the United States on June 20, when their line-up is complete. They will play teams in the US, including some NCAA squads. The plan was for them to play the Philippines, then set up the other games, and leave for America. It was a generous and very kind gesture. Unfortunately, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has a prior agreement with the PBA that national players would be made available to their mother clubs until June 22. Given how much the league has sacrificed for the national interest, this agreement takes precedence. Therefore, the national team will miss the opportunity to play  in Lithuania by about a week.

It would have been a great opportunity for our team to learn so much from a European powerhouse, and one that even Latvia considers a brother nation. Lithuania, a country of only 2.5 million people, is known to be perhaps even more passionate about basketball than Filipinos. Vilnius, the capital, is also home to the International Basketball University, which is also run by Balciunas, a doctor of basketball science. This would have been the start of a great exchange of ideas and knowledge about hoops, the forging of strong ties between basketball-loving nations on opposite sides of the world. For now, it is not meant to be. The Philippines will find some other way to finally make it back into the Olympic basketball tournament for the first time in 52 years. Our prayers for their success to continue.