THE Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) had to limit the crowd which can in droves to the Philsports Arena to watch the tune-up game between Gilas Pilipinas and the visiting Taiwan Mustangs.
As previously announced, only the first 5,000 people were allowed inside the Pasig arena by the SBP as per agreement with the Philsports management for the 6 p.m. send-off match for the national team bound for the Olympic qualifiers.
Turnaway crowd
A few thousands more were still waiting outside the entrance as security personnel no longer allowed additional crowd inside the venue, which has a 10,000-seating capacity.
“Hanggang 5,000 lang ang limit na ibinigay, e. Otherwise, magkakaroon tayo ng problema with Philsports management,” said an SBP personnel, who refused to be identified.
“Hindi rin naman ganito yung ini-expect namin na crowd. Kaya the SBP is very grateful to all our basketball fans for supporting our Gilas Pilipinas team.”
Before leaving for the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, Gilas also played a tune-up game against Korean Basketball League (KBL) side Changwon LG Sakers, which the national team won, 86-81.
But the match against the LG Sakers didn’t draw as much attention as this one against the Mustangs.
The Taiwan-based club team has some Filipino flavor to it as former Rain or Shine coach and deputy mentor Chris Gavina and Rich Alvarez head the coaching staff of the Mustangs.
The franchise also has in its roster PBA champions Alex Cabagnot and Rashawn McCarthy as well as Ateneo alum Geo Chiu.
Just recently, the Mustangs also announced acquiring the rights of former NBA stars Dwight Howard, DeMarcus Cousins, and Quinn Cook. The three though won't be joining the team yet until the July leg of The Asian Tournament.
Gilas Pilipinas is using its tune-up game against the Mustangs as part of its preparation for the coming Olympic Qualifying Tournament set next week in Riga, Latvia.
Coach Tim Cone and the rest of the team will be leaving for Europe on Tuesday to play a pair of friendly against the national teams of Turkey and Poland.
The qualifier for the Paris Olympics is set from July 2-7.
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