THE Southeast Asian Games will be the main topic when the PBA board convenes on Thursday at the league’s office in Libis, Quezon City.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said Gilas coach Tim Cone will be present in the board meeting as the pro league discusses the plans for the basketball competitions of the SEA Games to be hosted by the country this December.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) officials led by president Al Panlilio are also expected to attend the board meeting.
In a previous interview, Panlilio said the PBA board has been in discussions on how best to accommodate the Gilas program even before the winless campaign in the last Fiba World Cup in China.
Primarily, the SBP chief said the pro league is looking at an option to reduce a PBA season from three to two conferences, so as to give players the opportunity to play for Gilas during international windows.
The PBA board is also open to the idea of forming a dedicated pool of players for the Gilas program, Panlilio added.
"Even before this, there were a lot of talks on, do you bring [the season] down to two conferences with the same number of games [for the teams]?" Panlilio said. "The PBA needs to be creative if that is to happen."
Marcial agreed, saying one dampener is a clause in the league's contracts with sponsors that guarantees '120 games in double-headers' per season,' which he said will be tough to accommodate under a two-conference format.
Cone was recently appointed to handle the Gilas Pilipinas squad but will only be coaching the team for the SEA Games as the SBP plans to create a search committee for a permanent head coach.
The Gilas Pilipinas program will also be up for discussion as the SBP looks to begin its preparation for the Fiba Basketball World Cup 2023 at the soonest possible time.
Also on the table is the 3x3 team for the SEA Games where the initial plan is to field professional players in the debut tournament.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
