The 33rd Southeast Asian Games basketball, which will take place in Bangkok, Thailand, from December 9 to 20, will adopt the policy rule of “passport only”.
Fil-Ams with a PH Passport Before Turning 16 Years Old
According to Team Philippines chef de mission Dr. Jose Canlas, this rule was clarified during a meeting among the chefs de mission of the 11 participating countries, where it was agreed that an athlete’s eligibility will be based solely on the passport of the nation they are representing.
Dr. Canlas added that those players with dual passports “can only use the passport of the country they are representing when traveling to Thailand.”
The technical handbook for the 33rd SEA Games basketball tournament initially stated that the Games would adhere to FIBA rules:
“A national team participating in a competition may have only players on its team who have acquired the legal nationality of that country by naturalization or by any other means before having reached the age of sixteen (16), regardless of where the additional nationality acquired is deemed effective at birth.
“This provision applies also to any player having the right to acquire another nationality at birth but who did not lay claim to this right before having reached the age of sixteen (16).”
Trimming the 24-Man Pool
Now, since the rule is settled, the original 24-man pool of Gilas Pilipinas will be trimmed, and Head Coach Norman Black can now have a better target on how their roster can be constructed.
US NCAA standouts that have previously expressed interest in playing “may now be crossed out”. These are: Remy Martin, Boogie Ellis, and Kihei Clark.
The rule also gives Gilas the possibility of playing both Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame. The Philippines would definitely benefit from this in capturing its 20th gold medal.
The more realistic lineup may actually consist of collegiate players who are from both the NCAA and UAAP. Previously committed student-athletes are: Mason Amos, Mike Phillips, Kean Baclaan, and recently localized player for Gilas, Quentin Millora-Brown.
Asian imports playing in the Korean Basketball League and B League are still not yet 100% guaranteed to participate since the SEA Games aren’t a FIBA-sanctioned tournament. Players who have voiced their willingness to play are: Kevin Quiambao, Bobby Ray Parks Jr., Matthew Wright, Gómez De Liaño brothers (Juan and Javi), and SJ Belangel.
Overall Take: History Says Collegiate Players Can Get the Job Done
Despite the large number of young basketball professionals wanting to represent the Philippines, in the past decade or so, players who have represented the iconic blue and white jersey have been student-athletes.
Take the previous SEA Games coaching duties of Norman Black from 2011. He once led the Gilas Pilipinas Junior team (known back then as the Sinag Pilipinas) to the gold medal in the 2011 SEA Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
His players back then? Collegiate studs Kiefer Ravena, Chris Tiu, Chris Ellis, Cliff Hodge, Greg Slaughter, Dave Marcelo, Garvo Lanete, Bobby Ray Parks Jr., Jake Pascual, Emman Monfort, Nico Salva, and RR Garcia.
And the majority of lineups that the Philippine team has sent out in the previous SEA Games were college students accompanied by a naturalized player.
So why not revert back to the old ways?
Ah yes, the infamous silver medal finish of the Philippines in the 2021 SEA Games, which was head-coached by Chot Reyes, was the one that started it all. That runner-up finish was so monumental that it was the country’s first silver in 33 years as Indonesia captured the gold.
But since this tournament won’t affect the continuity of Tim Cone’s main Gilas squad, why not send out young players so that we can see the future of Philippine basketball?
