Key players of Barangay Ginebra and the other PBA stars who are likewise mainstays of the Gilas Pilipinas national squad, are expected to skip participation in the Southeast Asian Games men’s basketball competitions slated late this year in Thailand.
The PBA will have its on-going season at that time as the Philippine Cup starts October this year.
Ginebra is also scheduled to play in a PBA overseas game along with Rain or Shine in Bahrain in December and Tim Cone and his troops won’t be available to represent the national team in the biennial meet where the Filipinos are the reigning champions in the hoop event.
“It is my understanding that Ginebra is scheduled to be in Bahrain during the SEA Games,” wrote Cone in a Viber message to Pinoystep.com.
Although he won’t be there to call the shots for Gilas, Cone believes the national team will be in good hands under Black, who also coached the amateur-laden national squad to a gold medal finish in the 2011 SEA Games in Jakarta.
“We’re in good hands,” added Cone. “Me and Norman have always been rivals, but we’ve also developed friendship through the years. He has my utmost respect.”
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio confirmed that they are indeed going to tap players outside of the PBA so as not to interfere with the pro league’s calendar.
“We are forming a team, for sure outside of the PBA,” wrote Panlilio in a Viber message. “We are already discussing (composition of the team). We will announce publicly once we have it.”
Two years ago, Gilas Pilipinas reclaimed the SEA Games gold medal after winning the event in Cambodia as new players like then collegiate stars Michael Phillips and Jerom Lastimosa and a PBA newcomer in Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser reinforced the team and defeated the squad which earlier dealt the Filipinos a stinging defeat in the early stage of the tournament — host team Cambodia, which was bannered by naturalized players coming from the United States.
