THE PBA has yet to get an official word from the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) on the course of action it will take following the Philippines’ last-minute inclusion in the qualifying tournament for the Tokyo Olympics.
Commissioner Willie Marcial said he has yet to be notified by SBP President Al S. Panlilio or anybody from the association – as of posting time – about the Fiba decision to have the country take the place of New Zealand in the Belgrade meet – one of four qualifiers to be held from June 29 to July 4.
“As of now, wala pang sinasabi ang SBP,” said Marcial, who himself was caught surprised by the move of the world governing body for the sport.
“Nag-meeting pa kami (kahapon), wala pa namang nabanggit,” added the commissioner, obviously referring to the PBA Board meeting Friday where the inaugural league 3x3 meet was the top agenda.
But in a statement shortly after FIBA made the announcement, Panlilio said the SBP will coordinate with the pro league to ‘plot our plans moving forward.’

“Kapag nagsabi yan (SBP), baka biglang magpatawag ng meeting ang Board,” he said.
There is one major concern, though.
Gilas Pilipinas’ preparation and campaign in the qualifier will run simultaneously with the holding of the Philippine Cup, especially if the league’s 46th season is further moved from its projected April 9 opening given the COVID-19 situation in the country.
On Saturday, President Duterte announced the National Capital Region (NCR) will remain under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) for the entire month of March, meaning contact sports are still not allowed to be held.
The all-Filipino conference usually runs for about three months, although in the last Clark bubble, the league managed to hold the tournament in two months.
At the moment, Gilas Pilipinas has five PBA special draftees in its training pool, which is expected to increase by next month when four others will be added shortly after the March 14 rookie draft.
The training pool also has a slew of cadet players from the collegiate ranks, including naturalized player candidate Ange Kouame.
But the Olympic qualifier offers a stiffer competition, with the Philippines bracketed with host Serbia and Dominican Republic in Group A.
Italy, Puerto Rico, and Senegal meanwhile are bunched in Group B.
The top two teams in each group will then meet in a crossover semifinals, and the two surviving teams will clash in a one-game final for a berth in the Tokyo Olympics.
The Gilas Pilipinas training pool just recently broke camp at the Inspire Sports Academy in Laguna following the postponement of the Doha, Qatar window for the Fiba Asia Cup qualifier.
Aside from the cadets and the special draftees, the pool had PBA players Roger Pogoy, Troy Rosario, Kiefer Ravena, Justin Chua, Raul Soyud, and CJ Perez.
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