Each His Own Way
Note: published March 27, 2006
It happened. We had predicted it would happen, but we also wished it didn’t happen, but it did (happen). Get it? The wedge that has split the basketball family into two has gotten so deep and wide, and it doesn’t look like a quick solution is around the corner. It sure looks like each is going his own way.
On one side is the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP), the erstwhile national sports association (NSA) that was disowned by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).
On the other side is the group called “Pilipinas Basketball” (PB). It’s the brand new NSA recognized by the POC. It was developed to put all basketball stakeholders under one roof, but BAP President Joey Lina didn’t want any part of it. Its major players are the PBA, PBL, UAAP and NCAA.
With this as a scenario, what will the year of basketball be like? Whose basketball program will be respected? Which side has a legitimate program to develop the sport in the country? Of the two, whose activities will be followed by this country’s basketball crazy fans? The BAP or Pilipinas Basketball? I guess the bottom line question is, “Which group is capable of developing an honest-to-goodness basketball program that will be respected and followed by the country?
Let’s assume for now the impasse won’t be broken. Another assumption is that neither the BAP nor PB will be accredited by the FIBA. The Philippines will thus remain suspended. On the side, we’re still hopeful that the suspension will be lifted.
Life will definitely go on for both sides and a FIBA suspension isn’t going to stop this. The major players of Pilipinas Basketball will go on with its activities. The PBA just started its All Filipino Conference. This will last all the way to June or July. The PBA’s off-season (July-October) will be booked for pros to represent the country in international tournaments.
The PBL started its summer tournament last Saturday. This will end around the end of May or first week of June. The UAAP and NCAA will then take over from July to October while the PBL takes a break. UAAP champ FEU will be defending its title as national collegiate champ in an inter-league tournament of the country’s collegiate leagues led by the UAAP and NCAA. The PBA will come back with an import-laced tournament around October together just as the PBL holds another tournament. For Cebu, my guess is that the CESAFI is favoring to work with PB in the same way that they worked together at the Philippine Basketball Federation.
The BAP will also go its own way with its regular calendar of activities. What are these? Your guess is as good as mine. In the south, the MVBA is a tournament organized by BAP Chairman Michel Lhuillier and Lhuillier Coach Yayoy Alcoseba. The BAP recently had an Interclub tournament won by Wang’s Ballclub and a national inter collegiate tournament won by West Negros College. Other talks that came out via press releases were a planned national grassroots program anchored on the local government units (LGUs) of the country.
I’m not sure under what program the National Basketball Conference is playing. Or are they another group also on its own?
If and when both sides will have to send a team to international tournaments to represent the country, Pilipinas Basketball will be leaning on the national training pool of players composed of the best of the PBA and the young upstarts of the PBL, UAAP and NCAA, with Chot Reyes as head coach. The BAP’s national team players will naturally come from its member leagues. But ever since the Cebuana Lhuillier’s national training team was disbanded, we haven’t heard of a pool of players training for the BAP’s program.
I did forget to mention that the FIBA also plays a crucial role in all this mess as it also goes on its own way. I find it amusing that they continue to recognize the BAP as the country’s NSA even if this has been banished by the POC. I guess they see that it’s for the good of local basketball that we send our weakest national teams to international tournaments. The FIBA most likely also believes that our country‘s basketball body doesn’t need a PBA, PBL, UAAP or NCAA.
I only wonder why they can’t do a United Nations (UN), keep their hands off our internal problems, and respect the changes that have come our way. After all, didn’t the UN keep their hands off when Tita Cory replaced Marcos? Did they tell us to keep Erap in office when GMA came in? If the FIBA is genuinely concerned with what’s happening in local basketball, have they done their homework and intelligence work to get the real basketball pulse of the country? Do they really believe that the BAP is the savior of Philippine basketball?
Isn’t it sad that each has to go is own way?
***Time-out: The summer’s here and this means a wide variety of sports clinics for kids. Keep off the TV’s, computers and malls through sports! >>> You can reach us at http://bleachertalk.blogspot.com or bleachertalk@yahoo.com.
It happened. We had predicted it would happen, but we also wished it didn’t happen, but it did (happen). Get it? The wedge that has split the basketball family into two has gotten so deep and wide, and it doesn’t look like a quick solution is around the corner. It sure looks like each is going his own way.
On one side is the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP), the erstwhile national sports association (NSA) that was disowned by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).
On the other side is the group called “Pilipinas Basketball” (PB). It’s the brand new NSA recognized by the POC. It was developed to put all basketball stakeholders under one roof, but BAP President Joey Lina didn’t want any part of it. Its major players are the PBA, PBL, UAAP and NCAA.
With this as a scenario, what will the year of basketball be like? Whose basketball program will be respected? Which side has a legitimate program to develop the sport in the country? Of the two, whose activities will be followed by this country’s basketball crazy fans? The BAP or Pilipinas Basketball? I guess the bottom line question is, “Which group is capable of developing an honest-to-goodness basketball program that will be respected and followed by the country?
Let’s assume for now the impasse won’t be broken. Another assumption is that neither the BAP nor PB will be accredited by the FIBA. The Philippines will thus remain suspended. On the side, we’re still hopeful that the suspension will be lifted.
Life will definitely go on for both sides and a FIBA suspension isn’t going to stop this. The major players of Pilipinas Basketball will go on with its activities. The PBA just started its All Filipino Conference. This will last all the way to June or July. The PBA’s off-season (July-October) will be booked for pros to represent the country in international tournaments.
The PBL started its summer tournament last Saturday. This will end around the end of May or first week of June. The UAAP and NCAA will then take over from July to October while the PBL takes a break. UAAP champ FEU will be defending its title as national collegiate champ in an inter-league tournament of the country’s collegiate leagues led by the UAAP and NCAA. The PBA will come back with an import-laced tournament around October together just as the PBL holds another tournament. For Cebu, my guess is that the CESAFI is favoring to work with PB in the same way that they worked together at the Philippine Basketball Federation.
The BAP will also go its own way with its regular calendar of activities. What are these? Your guess is as good as mine. In the south, the MVBA is a tournament organized by BAP Chairman Michel Lhuillier and Lhuillier Coach Yayoy Alcoseba. The BAP recently had an Interclub tournament won by Wang’s Ballclub and a national inter collegiate tournament won by West Negros College. Other talks that came out via press releases were a planned national grassroots program anchored on the local government units (LGUs) of the country.
I’m not sure under what program the National Basketball Conference is playing. Or are they another group also on its own?
If and when both sides will have to send a team to international tournaments to represent the country, Pilipinas Basketball will be leaning on the national training pool of players composed of the best of the PBA and the young upstarts of the PBL, UAAP and NCAA, with Chot Reyes as head coach. The BAP’s national team players will naturally come from its member leagues. But ever since the Cebuana Lhuillier’s national training team was disbanded, we haven’t heard of a pool of players training for the BAP’s program.
I did forget to mention that the FIBA also plays a crucial role in all this mess as it also goes on its own way. I find it amusing that they continue to recognize the BAP as the country’s NSA even if this has been banished by the POC. I guess they see that it’s for the good of local basketball that we send our weakest national teams to international tournaments. The FIBA most likely also believes that our country‘s basketball body doesn’t need a PBA, PBL, UAAP or NCAA.
I only wonder why they can’t do a United Nations (UN), keep their hands off our internal problems, and respect the changes that have come our way. After all, didn’t the UN keep their hands off when Tita Cory replaced Marcos? Did they tell us to keep Erap in office when GMA came in? If the FIBA is genuinely concerned with what’s happening in local basketball, have they done their homework and intelligence work to get the real basketball pulse of the country? Do they really believe that the BAP is the savior of Philippine basketball?
Isn’t it sad that each has to go is own way?
***Time-out: The summer’s here and this means a wide variety of sports clinics for kids. Keep off the TV’s, computers and malls through sports! >>> You can reach us at http://bleachertalk.blogspot.com or bleachertalk@yahoo.com.
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