FIL-AM guard Remy Martin is the latest player to be affected by Fiba's eligibility rules as the Arizona State standout will not be considered as a local for Gilas Pilipinas.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) program director Tab Baldwin shared to Spin Zoom In the plight of the 6-foot guard, who recently declared for the 2021 NBA Draft.
"Remy is a naturalized player. I don't believe that he has been cleared to play as a local," he said.
Martin, 22, has long been in the radar of the SBP with former national team coach Chot Reyes even including him in the 23-for-2023 cadets program.
He continued to hone his skills with the Sun Devils, posting 19.1 points on 35-percent shooting from threes, to go with 3.7 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 33.5 minutes in his senior year and was a member of the First Team All-Pac-12 in the last two seasons.
Martin is projected to be a second-round selection by various mock draft boards.
It's an unfortunate situation to be in for Martin, who was already at least 16 when he acquired his dual citizenship but has repeatedly indicated his desire to represent the country in international competitions.
"Again, he's another player who's a tremendous talent and has expressed his desire to represent the country. And if there was ever a need for a point guard, which I don't really anticipate, we would certainly be looking at Remy," said Baldwin.
Martin is the latest player to be affected by the Fiba eligibility rule which requires players to secure their passports before the age of 16.
The rule has already affected what would have been the local status of Jordan Clarkson, Stanley Pringle, Christian Standhardinger, Chris Ross, and Mo Tautuaa, among others, in the past.
Baldwin, however, hopes that all hope isn't lost for Martin as the SBP continues to fight for his case and champion reform of the existing eligibility rules.
"Right now, what we want to try and do is help him get that local status that a lot of these Fil-Ams and Fil-foreigners would love to have," he said. "If they had only gotten their passports at an earlier stage in their life, we would be bringing a lot of these guys into play as locals in the national team."
If not, the only way for Martin to play for Gilas as a naturalized player is if the SBP decides to tap him in favor of the likes of Ange Kouame, much like in the case of Clarkson.
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