GILAS Pilipinas’ campaign in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in December faces player availability issues since most of the major leagues will still be ongoing by that time.
The 33rd SEA Games' December 9 to 20 run in Thailand isn't considered a FIBA window, therefore making the availability of overseas-based players such as Kai Sotto, AJ Edu, Carl Tamayo, and Kevin Quiambao in doubt.
“I can’t speak for those leagues. For the players, there is naman a commitment from their end. But it will still depend on their ballclubs which we cannot control naman ‘yung kanilang contracts there," said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) executive director Erika Dy.
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“Unlike the FIBA windows where FIBA obliges these ballclubs to release the players to the national team, they do not do it for the SEA Games,” said Dy in an interview with reporters after the SBP National Congress at the Meralco Multi-Purpose Hall.
The PBA is also most likely in the middle of their 50th season during the SEA Games duration, while the UAAP and the NCAA will be winding down their respective seasons by that time.
“That’s another challenge for us. In the past, the UAAP would start in July and end in September. You would have the best players from the UAAP and the NCAA playing in the SEA Games. But that’s the challenge now because both leagues end in December as they start later in the year,” said Dy.
Under head coach Tim Cone, Gilas has maintained a compact pool of players for the international competitions such as the upcoming FIBA Asia Cup 2025 in August to be held in Jeddah.
The Philippines will be defending the SEA Games crown that it won in 2023 with a team composed of mostly PBA players led by naturalized player Justin Brownlee, Chris Newsome, Arvin Tolentino, and Christian Standhardinger, and college players Mason Amos, Michael Phillips, and Jerom Lastimosa.
This year will be Cone’s first foray into the SEA Games since being named as the permanent head coach of the national team. He handled the Gilas squad on a temporary basis during the 2019 SEA Games that the country hosted.
Despite the possible schedule conflicts, Dy expressed confidence that they can sort things out with the stakeholders.
“Mahirap talaga siya but I’m confident na magagawan natin ng paraan especially with stakeholder meetings such as this (National Congress) where we put all our heads together and we put our personal interest aside for the country,” said Dy.
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