SBP, PBA discuss Gilas program

With the country’s pride at stake, Philippine Basketball Association commissioner Willie Marcial won’t hesitate to lend a helping hand to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas when it unveils its plans today for Gilas Pilipinas at the league’s headquarters in Quezon City.

Regardless of what the SBP is going to present, Marcial will be right there to listen and offer the best possible form of assistance.

“The league will always be there to help Gilas Pilipinas,” he said on the eve of the crucial meeting.

On the agenda is the SBP’s programs for 2024, including the all-important participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifiers in Riga, Latvia, in early-July.

The choice of coach would also be discussed and named although multi-titled mentor Tim Cone’s name is the most logical pick given his role in Gilas Pilipinas’ success in the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Marcial is clueless about what plans the SBP has and is keeping his fingers crossed, hoping that the league and the high-profile federation will reach a win-win solution. SBP president Al Panlilio and Erika Dy, appointed recently as executive director, are going to make the presentation.

Last week, Cone expressed the belief that for Gilas to perform well, the players have to be full-time given the events on tap aside from the tough qualifying tournament.

Apart from the Olympic qualifying tournament, the window tourneys leading to the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup will be talked about by the basketball leaders.

Owing to the magnitude of the tournaments taking place in the next few months, it will be suicidal for the SBP to assemble a squad made up of players other than those who took part in last year’s FIBA World Cup and the Asian Games.

But then again, the PBA is in dire need of knowing what the SBP has in mind since it also has business to attend to.

Marcial swears he has an idea how this perennial problem can be addressed.

But that’s another story.