THE Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has decided not to send a team to the 2018 Asian Games, saying it needs to regroup after the sanctions meted over a brawl that marred a home game between Gilas and Australia last July 2.
The SBP made the announcement of the pullout late Thursday night, just hours after its president Al Panlilio sat down in a meeting with the PBA board over the possible composition of the Rain or Shine-led Asiad team.
In a three-paragraph statement, the SBP said it has decided that sending a team to next month's Asiad in Indonesia would ‘not be optimal.’
According to the SBP, the pullout will allow the national team to ‘regroup’ and ‘prepare for the process of appealing the FIBA Disciplinary Panel’s recent decision,’ owing to the recent suspensions and fines that the national team for the brawl.
The federation initially dropped a plan to send the core of the TNT KaTropa team to the Asian Games as it dealt with the Fiba sanctions over the brawl, including suspensions to 10 players and two coaches.
To save the situation, Rain or Shine agreed to represent the country in the Asian Games, with NLEX coach Yeng Guiao being tasked to lead his former squad and several other pros in the upcoming continental meet.
However, it became apparent after Thursday's meeting that there will be limitations on the lineup Guiao can form as the PBA board stuck to its original offer to lend only the core of one team to the Asiad-bound side.
The team's lineup was supposed to be submitted by the SBP to the Indonesia Asian Games Organizing committee on Friday.
"The SBP resolves to improve its systems, and to prepare programs that will better ensure respectable performances of our teams internationally, of which our countrymen can be truly proud," the federation said in a statement,
Here's the SBP statement in full:
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