THE PBA board will have its hands full when it convenes for the first time this year.
Chairman Ricky Vargas and the rest of the board of governors sit down with Commissioner Willie Marcial to tackle a range of issues that will determine the course of the coming 46th season of Asia’s pioneering pro league.
The staging of the league’s first 3x3 tournament and the holding of the special Gilas draft top the list of agenda the board will tackle during the meeting that starts at 12 noon on Thursday.
“Yung ibang board members pupunta sa opisina, pero yung iba virtual lang,” said Marcial.
Also to be discussed is the coming rookie draft, which will be the first official activity of the league this season, and the league's participation in the inaugural staging of the rebooted East Asia Super League (EASL).
Alaska governor Richard Bachmann is expected to preside over how the PBA will launch the 3x3 program, of which he serves as chairman. The league is looking to stage the tournament ahead of the season kick-off this April.
Meanwhile, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al S. Panlilio, who also serves as Meralco representative to the board, will present the case whether a special Gilas drafting will be held for the second straight time.
The rookie draft set on March 14, will also be talked about especially the case of Fil-foreign players who applied but have yet to secure two major requirements, namely the Department of Justice affirmation and the Bureau of Immigration confirmation.
A record 97 applicants beat the draft deadline on Wednesday.
The board will also deliberate on how to go about in accommodating in its schedule playing in the inaugural season of the EASL home-and-away tournament tentatively set to start this October.
Marcial however said, the board will still defer tackling whether the season would be held under another bubble set-up or to try for a change the closed-circuit system.
“Hindi pa, matagal pa yun. Baka March pa,” said the commissioner, adding the number of COVID-19 cases in the country will still be the main determining factor on how the season would go.
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