THERE were a number of people in the room, among them Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio, his executive director Sonny Barrios, national coach Chot Reyes, NLEX coach Yeng Guiao, and Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia, all joining basketball godfather Manny V. Pangilinan in a meeting that ended late Thursday night.
Hours later, the SBP fired a statement to all media outlets: the Philippines won't be sending a team to the basketball competition of the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.
The midnight announcement caught everyone by surprise, since it came just hours after Panlilio and Commissioner Willie Marcial presided over a press conference at the PBA office that confirmed Rain or Shine's participation in the Asiad with a rejigged team to be coached by former Elastopainters coach Guiao.
So what changed?
Sources said the meeting with MVP was called basically to take stock of the Asiad participation in light of recent events, beginning with the brawl between Gilas Pilipinas and Australia in a Fiba World Cup home qualifier to the subsequent suspensions meted by Fiba on 10 Gilas players and two coaches.
As it is, the Asiad plan had already changed a number of times over the course of several months. Something that the PBA board isn't too happy about, sources said.
After ruling out Gilas from the Asiad, the SBP hatched a plan to tap the core of the MVP-owned TNT KaTropa team with a sprinkling of Gilas cadets. But that plan was likewise ditched, Panlilio said, on 'moral grounds' after four TNT players were suspended by Fiba for their roles in the brawl against the Boomers.
Next, the SBP and the PBA board reached an agreement that the top team at the end of the Commissioner's Cup eliminations be tapped for the Asiad mission. Rain or Shine, after several consultations, agreed to take on the responsibility and make the supreme sacrifice.
Thursday's board meeting not only confirmed Rain or Shine's participation and Guiao's appointment but on the side, it also determined the scope of the PBA board's support to the endeavor.
Guiao was aware of the original PBA commitment to the SBP to send only 'one team' to the Asian Games, but was confused on whether it was the ROS team as a whole or only the core of the Elastopainters' lineup.
If it was the only the core, Guiao had hoped the PBA can once again bend backwards and give him a few more 'reinforcements' from other ballclubs.
The multi-titled coach listed six players on his wishlist - June Mar Fajardo, Greg Slaughter, Poy Erram, Jeff Chan, Paul Lee, and Stanley Pringle - but admitted beforehand that getting Slaughter and Fajardo, and for that matter Chan, was a longshot since San Miguel and Ginebra were playing in the finals.
Under Asiad eligiblity rules, Guiao felt Pringle can beef up the team since he is a Fil-American and a longtime resident of the country.
Looking back on Friday, Guiao admitted: "I was hoping to get two or three reinforcements. I would take the risk."
When Panlilio and Marcial presided over Thursday's press conference at the end of the board meeting, there was no mention of Guiao's request for reinforcements being turned down, but both confirmed that the PBA 'stuck to the original agreement' to send only one team to the Asiad.
That was the situation in SBP's hands when Panlilio and Co. headed to a late meeting with Pangilinan at the PLDT office in Makati: Guiao can tap the core of Rain or Shine plus perhaps a few of his own players at NLEX and a sprinkling of Gilas cadets for the Asiad mission, but nothing more.
Asked about the team's chances in retrospect, Guiao said: 'Rain or Shine is one of the top teams in the PBA and it has a strong lineup. But remember, pagpunta ng Rain or Shine sa Asian Games, hindi naman mga kapwa ballclubs ang kakalabanin namin (kundi) mga national teams ng ibang bansa."
Citing Iran's Hamed Haddadi as an example, Guiao continued: 'Kung makakalaban namin ay may Haddadi na NBA veteran at lampas seven feet, mas maigi siguro kung may makakatulong kina Raymond Almazan at Beau (Belga)."
"If we cannot get the reinforcements, we simply can't compete," he added.
Still, Guiao refused to say that the competitiveness of the team - or the lack of it - prompted the Asiad pullout, saying it was more of the SBP deciding to focus on longterm goals than short-term results.
"Are we going to the Asian Games to compete or are we going there only to participate?" Guiao said. "If we're only going there to participate, the SBP felt it was better to focus on the next (Fiba World Cup qualifying) window and the future."
Who made the decision to pull the plug on the Asiad participation?
"It was a consensus," Guiao said.
"And I thanked them for the three days that I became a national coach again, even if I didn't even get to meet the team," he added with a chuckle.
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