No PBA players for Gilas in Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers, OQT

By: MARK GIONGCO - 4 years ago

FILE — Young Gilas team which competed in the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers in Bahrain. FIBA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas teams that will compete in the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers and in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament later this year won’t be reinforced with PBA players.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al Panlilio on Tuesday said the Philippine team will have to make do with the cadets in the two tournaments.

According to Panlilo, the looming conflict between the Fiba and PBA calendars led to the SBP’s decision to field in PBA-less squads.

“The Fiba Asia Cup window should happen roughly in the second week of June, and the OQT in Serbia is already dated June 29 to July 4. “It will be difficult for us to join the tournament,” said Panlilio in a press conference Tuesday.

“If you look at it if we want to train as early as this month and the PBA will start its conference this season in April and this will go all the way to July 4 the last day of the OQT, it will completely descale the calendar of the PBA,” he said.

The 46th Season of the PBA is set to tip off on April 11.

Gilas, which will face rival Korea and Indonesia in the final window of qualifiers in June, is on track to book a spot in the continental meet after going 3-0 in the first two windows.

The Nationals, however, face a tall order in the OQT against host Serbia and the Dominican Republic.