CHICAGO - With seven days to go before the start of the 2025 SEA Games, the defending champion Gilas Pilipinas roster remains frustratingly stuck at eight.
In a meeting that lasted several hours on Monday afternoon at the Blue Eagle Gym, where Gilas beat Guam in their second meeting in three days, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) top brass convened to address the missing pieces.
READ Gilas sends off Japeth Aguilar with 24-point home win over Guam
Unfortunately, as of late Monday night, the lineup did not increase in body count. Fortunately, though, there was a whiff of good news.
Except for Bobby Ray Parks who is still in Japan, the other seven confirmed players - Jamie Malonzo, Robert Bolick, Abu Tratter, Von Pessumal, Matthew Wright, Veejay Pre and Thirdy Ravena - broke sweat with several practice players for a couple of hours at the Moro gym..
If you are perplexed why our federation cannot come up with four players in a basketball-crazed country where a plethora of talent can be mined in the PBA, MPBL, UAAP and the NCAA, don't be.
UNDER THE WHIM OF THE HOST THAIS.
We are not the problem, and Lord knows how many midnight candles SBP executive director Erika Dy and coach Norman Black have burned throughout this stressful saga.
Players' availability and willingness to represent isn't the headache, either. So many, including Juan Gomez De Liano and Greg Slaughter, to name a few, have volunteered to slip on a red, white and blue jersey.
The root of all the madness lies with the Organizing Committee. .
The Thais, in my informed opinion, have abused the discretion provided for in the SEA Games charter which allows the hosts to amend the eligibility rules as they see fit.
But instead of using that policy to promote a level playing field, the sneaky Thais weaponized it as an advantage to weaken both our resolve and our ability to defend the basketball title we won in Cambodia in 2023.
They "red flagged" Justin Brownlee, Brandon Ganulas-Rosser, Michael Phillips and Kymani Ladi even though all except Ladi have already previously played in the SEA Games. Remy Martin, meanwhile, was "yellow flagged," which seems to be just a euphemism for "not qualified."
WE'VE SEEN THIS MOVIE BEFORE.
So, it doesn't really matter which players the SBP picks moving forward because the Thais can just randomly block them without being required to provide an explanation.
It's like accessing unlimited cash from a PIN-less debit card.
And that's ethically, morally wrong.
Per my sources, the Thais have a slew of mixed-race players in their lineup. But without Tyler Lamb, who is allegedly holding out for more money from their federation, their men's hoops team is not strong at all.
From where I come from this is called a motive.
For those of us who have lived through the pain of watching Filipino boxers losing to questionable "hometown decisions" in the past, what the Thais are doing with the manipulation of the rules is repeat trauma.
Way to go, Thailand. Your beaches, your people and your tourism are exceptional,
But man, when it comes to sports hosting, you wouldn't know what fair play looks like even if it smacks you in the face with a Muay Thai kick.
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