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    COLUMN: Navarro case another proof SBP can't get out of its own way

    'Ber' months are here, but the SBP keeps self-flagellating like it’s still Holy Week
    Sep 20, 2022
    PHOTO: fiba.basketball
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    SOMETIMES, you got to ask: Is someone sabotaging the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) from within?

    With the 2023 Fiba World Cup hosting just a year away, the national basketball federation couldn’t seem to get out of its own way, sinking deeper and deeper into a hole with problems that by and large are self-inflicted.

    From the mismanagement of the drama stemming from coach Tab Baldwin's exit as Gilas Pilipinas program director to the ill-fated campaigns under Chot Reyes that culminated in a horrid silver medal in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi and a ninth-place finish in the 2022 Fiba Asia Cup, the SBP has been giving plenty of stones for its detractors to throw at them.

    [READ: Nawalan na ba ng 'Puso' ang Gilas?]

    As bad as the situation is, they’re not done yet.

    This time, it’s William Navarro who has gotten the ire of the federation as the SBP refused to grant the former Ateneo forward a release for his planned Korean Basketball League (KBL) foray with the Seoul Samsung Thunders.

    The federation went to the fine print to justify its stand, noting that Navarro doesn’t only have a standing contract with the national team but also ceded his rights to NorthPort by participating in the special Gilas round of the 2021 PBA Rookie Draft.

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      Though there’s no question that the Greece-raised banger can be of use for the Batang Pier, his failure to come to terms with the club should already speak for itself.

      But how can you justify Gilas' stand, when Navarro was only used sparingly in his past stints with the national team?

      Playing alongside his fellow ‘cadets in the Fiba Asia Cup in Jakarta, Navarro did log 17.4 minutes and averaged 6.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. But when the SBP put together its team for the fourth window of the 2023 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers last August, Navarro’s name was nowhere to be found.

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      Given the renewed commitment of the PBA to lend players to the national team especially after San Miguel Corp. sports director Alfrancis Chua's appointment as Gilas executive advisor, you can't help but wonder where Navarro falls in SBP’s plans?

      Besides, if the SBP can tap overseas-based talents in Japan for the coming Fiba windows like those of the Ramos and Ravenas, can't it do the same for players in the Korea pro league where Navarro is headed?

      And why pick on Navarro when Jordan Heading, who went first in the aforementioned draft class and has his rights currently held by Terrafirma, was allowed to play in Taiwan and is now set to begin his career in Japan with second-division team Nagasaki Velca?

      Rules are rules, but in the case of the SBP, these rules are being selectively implemented.

      The SBP insisted it respects the players’ rights to look for greener pastures. Yet the players themselves are pushing back, with the likes of Kai Sotto, RJ Abarrientos, and SJ Belangel - all Gilas players - condemning the federation for its decision to stand in the way of Navarro's move to Korea.

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      Loose lips sink ships, as they say, and unfortunately, the SBP apparently can’t stop saying all the wrong things.

      Sometimes, all you need is common sense. Most of the time, you need concrete plans. And with the way the SBP has been acting lately, it doesn’t look like it has neither.

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      The 'Ber' months are here, but the SBP has got to stop self-flagellating like it’s still Holy Week. Truth be told, it’s getting clearer and clearer by the day that the federation and its officials remain stuck in the past.

      All it needs to develop is a bit of self-consciousness to figure out what matters most and what battles it needs to fight. Or else, the SBP will continue to self-destruct and, sadly for all of us fans, bring Philippine basketball down with it.

      Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

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      PHOTO: fiba.basketball
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