If Meralco’s out, Sol’s in
It’s still not certain if Meralco will advance to the PBA Governors Cup semifinals but if the Bolts don’t make it to the playoffs, guard Sol Mercado is expected to be invited to join the Philippine team competing in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) championships in Chiang Mai on July 3-7.
Meralco battles Barako Bull in the first game of today’s doubleheader at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. If Powerade beat B-Meg in Legazpi City last night and Rain Or Shine repulses Talk ‘N’ Text tonight, a Bolts win will create a massive logjam for second place in the standings. That would leave the Tropa, B-Meg, Barangay Ginebra, Petron, Powerade and Meralco tied with identical 5-4 records. The quotient system will send the top four to the semifinals outright with the last two disputing the sixth spot in a playoff.
If B-Meg won last night and Meralco loses to Barako tonight, there will be a three-way tie for sixth spot with Powerade, Meralco and Barako. The team with the highest quotient gains a bye and will play the winner of a knockout game between the other two squads for the right to advance to the semifinals.
If Powerade won last night and Barako scuttles Meralco tonight, the six-team cast for the semifinals will be settled without a playoff. Rain Or Shine, Talk ‘N’ Text, B-Meg, Ginebra, Petron and Powerade will carry over their eliminations records to play in the single-round semifinals.
Smart Gilas head coach and MVP Sports Foundation executive director Chot Reyes said if Meralco fails to advance, he will enlist Mercado to join the national team bound for Chiang Mai. Reyes submitted a list of 24 names to SEABA last month. From the roster will be picked the final 12 to play in the Stankovic Cup qualifier. Among the 24 are 10 PBA players – six from Talk ‘N’ Text, three from Alaska (Sonny Thoss, L. A. Tenorio and Mac Baracael) and Mercado.
Reyes confirmed 11 players for SEABA a few days ago – Thoss, Tenorio, Baracael, Marcus Douthit, Chris Tiu, Aldrech Ramos, Dave Marcelo, Garvo Lanete, Woody Co, Eman Monfort and Borgie Hermida. There is a slot waiting for Mercado.
“The 12th was supposed to be Vic Manuel who, after giving his okay, just didn’t show up,” said Reyes. “If Meralco doesn’t make the semis, maybe we’ll bring in Sol. We’re not able to add Cyrus Baguio because he wasn’t in the original 24-man pool.”
Reyes said Meralco will decide whether or not Mercado can join the national team if the Bolts fail to advance to the playoffs. “It’s Meralco’s call,” said Reyes. “We won’t need PBA approval anymore. If Mercado isn’t available for one reason or another, we’ll go with 11 players in Chiang Mai.”
Reyes said he doubts if the SEABA team can play the visiting US All-Star mainly composed of NBA legends at the MOA Arena on July 18. “I doubt if we can play the legends because our guys are going on vacation after SEABA,” he said. Smart Gilas team manager and MVP Sports Foundation project director Butch Antonio added that “it may be difficult because our hold on these players is only up to the end of the tournament – we’re willing to talk to the organizers but we might not be able to commit as right now, our focus is SEABA.”
MOA Arena events manager Arnel Gonzales said the touring team was formed by the New York City-based Professional Basketball Alumni Association (PBAA) headed by former NBA forward Charles Smith. The visitors will play the Westports Malaysia Dragons at the Melawati Indoor Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on July 16 then invade Manila. After they perform at the MOA Arena, the All-Stars will play a Taiwan selection in Kaohsiung on July 21.
The big problem is so far, the MOA Arena hasn’t found an opponent for the visitors whose lineup lists eight NBA veterans. An attempt to assemble a UAAP All-Star team was scuttled because the league will have started its season by then and according to Gonzales, four top UAAP squads are scheduled to play the day after. There was also an attempt for the PBA to participate but it was quickly turned down because July 18 is a game day for the pros. The idea to invite PBA legends to play the All-Stars was brought up but a question was raised on the competitiveness of the retired veterans.
A preliminary game involving UAAP schools was thumbed down because of the varsity league’s schedule. It’s possible that the so-called front act could be a game featuring two teams of PBA legends. The ideal situation would be for the SEABA squad to battle the visitors. The SEABA team, coached by Joseph Uichico, will have returned from Chiang Mai with the championship. Perhaps, the game could still be worked out but the SEABA players must be informed of the one-off exhibition as soon as possible so they can adjust their schedules. It wouldn’t be an attraction if the 11 All-Stars were to be split into two teams and play a scrimmage because of the limited warm bodies.
The visiting team is made up of Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Mitch Richmond, Bryon Russell, Cliff Robinson, Jason Williams, Horace Grant, Alexus Foyle, Chris Campbell, Jeff Trepagnier and Charoy Bentley. Last December, the PBAA formed two NBA legend squads to play each other in Macau in its first overseas venture. The legends were Pippen, Rodman, Robinson, Grant, Richmond, Gary Payton, Penny Hardaway, Larry Johnson, Dale Ellis, Voshon Leonard, Mark Blount, Kenny Anderson, Vin Baker and Clyde Drexler. Moses Malone coached one team and Nate Archibald, the other. They were able to form two teams of seven because the group listed 14 players. But in Manila, only 11 players are in the touring lineup.