Brownlee naturalization
THE process to grant Justin Brownlee Filipino citizenship finally begins.
A hearing is set in Congress on Wednesday and the Barangay Ginebra import is set to attend, as the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas seeks to add the American forward to the national team in time for the sixth window of the Fiba Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers.
Brownlee first joined Gilas practice in 2019 and earlier this year started attending Philippine team training ahead of the fifth window of the qualifiers.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) executive director Sonny Barrios said Brownlee already practiced singing the Philippine national anthem. Brownlee’s in Congress is just the start of the naturalization process that will also go through the Senate.
Gilas home games
AFTER two road games in the fifth window, the Philippine men’s basketball team will host two games in the sixth window of the Fiba Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers.
Gilas will host Lebanon on Feb. 24 before playing Jordan on Feb. 27 at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
Allotted a slot in the world meet as co-host, the Philippines is using the qualifiers to determine the final roster for the main event tipping off in August 2023.
Philippine Arena will be the site of the final phase of the World Cup, with Smart Araneta Coliseum and Mall of Asia, as well as Okinawa Arena in Japan and Indonesia Arena in Jakarta being the venues for the group stages.
Macaraya on NCAA officiating
COACH Egay Macaraya says inconsistencies in officiating have affected the quality of the games in NCAA Season 98, and a big impact in San Sebastian’s playoff bid.
The Final Four cast is set, with the Stags eliminated from the semis race with several games left in the elimination round.
Macaraya plans to file a complaint over officiating issues even though it won’t overturn San Sebastian’s loss to College of St. Benilde on Tuesday.
He was ejected late in the second quarter after officials denied his request for a coaches' challenge on Carlo Lim's foul on Alex Desoyo with 4.1 seconds left.
"Meron silang guidelines at yung crucial na laro namin kalaban ang San Beda, nag-challenge kami pero sinabi ng referee na di pwede. Pangalawang beses na itong nangyari sa amin na mali yung ruling sa coaches' challenge. Mali na nila yun," he said.
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