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    SBP still 'working very hard' to make Fiba junk eligibility rule

    SBP not giving up on eligibility talks with Fiba
    Apr 17, 2021

    THE Philippines isn't giving up on its quest to allow a number of Fil-foreign talents to be recognized as locals in Fiba-sanctioned competitions.

    Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al Panlilio shared that he continues to engage in discussions, albeit informal ones, with the Fiba brass to junk the longstanding Fiba eligibility rule which requires players to acquire passports before the age of 16.

    "We're working very hard on that," he told Radyo5's Power and Play with Noli Eala on Saturday.

    The infamous "Hagop rule," named after Lebanese Fiba Asia executive director Hagop Khajirian who introduced the said ruling, has been a big thorn on the side of Gilas, especially with a number of players being prevented from being recognized as locals in Fiba tourneys.

    Among those aggrieved by the ruling are Utah Jazz's Jordan Clarkson, Ginebra's Stanley Pringle and Christian Standhardinger, and San Miguel's Chris Ross and Mo Tautuaa.

    Pringle and Standhardinger played for Gilas in Fiba-sanctioned tournaments as naturalized players, while Clarkson, in the 2018 Asian Games, as well as Ross and Tautuaa, in the 30th Southeast Asian Games, were able to play for the national team as the respective tilts did not enforce the Fiba eligibility ruling.

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    "Secretary-general Andreas Zagklis is very aware of that issue with us and we've been communicating, not formally. He knows the issues that we're bringing to the table but it has been an issue that needs a lot of discussions still with Fiba," said Panlilio, who emphasized that with the high number of Filipinos abroad, it's almost certain that many more players with Filipino blood might come forward in hopes of playing for Gilas in the future.

    Still, it's not an easy endeavor to hurdle, given that Fiba has already had history in the past of other nations fielding players with unscrupulous eligibilities.

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      Avoiding those conundrums are among the considerations the international governing body for basketball is looking at as it crafts a more dynamic eligibility ruling which wouldn't just benefit the Philippines but all member-nations as well.

      "When you talk to Fiba, although it has a negative impact on the Philippines, they're looking at 120 countries where they have yet to find a solution on an issue that happened many years ago. But they understand our situation," Panlilio said.

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