5 PBA players OK'd for Gilas

By WAYLON GALVEZ

MANILA, Philippines – There will be five PBA players in the Smart-Gilas national basketball team for the Olympic qualifier FIBA-Asia Championship in September in Wuhan, China.

The board gave the go-signal in a recent meeting and PBA Commissioner Angelico “Chito” Salud relayed the decision to newly appointed Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) Executive Director Renauld “Sonny” Barrios when the two met last Monday.

“The commissioner told me that the (PBA) board has approved already the lending of five PBA players to Smart-Gilas,” the 63-year-old Barrios said Tuesday in the PSA Forum held at the Shakey’s Restaurant in UN Avenue, Manila.

“However, there’s no formal identity yet on who those five players will be,” said Barrios, the PBA commissioner whom Salud succeeded some months ago.

In last year’s Asian Games, the PBA allowed three of its players – Asi Taulava, Kelly Williams and Sol Mercado – to reinforce the national team.

This time, the number has increased, and sources said that the 6-foot-9 Taulava and 6-foot-7 Williams are in the radar anew of Smart-Gilas Serbian head coach Rajko Toroman. Also reportedly being considered are former RP team players James Yap, Ranidel de Ocampo, Ryan Reyes and Jimmy Alapag.

Toroman welcomes the board decision to lend a maximum of five players, though he mentioned that they will assess if they really need five and who to get as reinforcement after the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

“We’ll discuss that after our PBA participation. We still have to evaluate things,” said Toroman in a separate interview.

Nevertheless, Barrios said that the PBA decision is a good development.

What concerns Barrios is the country’s hosting of the FIBA-Asia Champions’ Cup, which will be held from May 28 to June 5 at the PhilSports Arena (formerly ULTRA) with an expected participation of 10 teams, including nine foreign squads.

“We have no choice but to do a good job,” Barrios said.

“When we host an event, it’s not just the face of the people organizing the event which is at stake, not the face of the association. Ang naka-taya dito mukha ng bayan natin. So we have to do a good job,” Barrios added.

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