THE PBA Board agreed to release members of the 15 players to Gilas Pilipinas 5.0m at least 15 days before the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (Seaba) Men’s Championship.
The regional meet that serves as qualifier to the Fiba Asia Cup is slated from May 12-18 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, meaning the players to be named by coach Chot Reyes as part of his official roster will be discharged by their respective mother teams during the annual All-Stars.
Instead of 12 players, the board also agreed to lend 15 players to the national team out of the 25-man training pool.
The decision was made during a special board meeting held at the league headquarters in Libis, Quezon City on Wednesday.
Action in the ongoing Commissioner’s Cup will have to take the backseat to give way to the week-long meet featuring teams from the Southeast Asian region. The mid-season tournament is expected to be in the middle of the playoffs by the time Seaba is held.
Present during the meeting were vice chairman Ramon Fernandez (NLEX), Eric Arejola (Globalport), Siliman Sy (Blackwater), Alfrancis Chua (Barangay Ginebra), Rene Pardo (Star), Robert Non (San Miguel), Ryan Gregorio (Meralco), Tomas Alvarez (Mahindra), Atty. Mamerto Mondragon (Rain or Shine), Dickie Bachmann (Alaska), Pato Gregorio (TnT Katropa), and Atty. Raymond Zorilla (Phoenix).
Reyes batted for players to be released by their respective mother ballclubs to the national team earlier.
“Ongoing kasi ang PBA season, and hopefully we can get more time with the team to train as a team on a full-time basis,” he said. “Yun ang main concern talaga naming.”