Gilas program ‘under review,’ door still open for Chot – team manager

MANILA, Philippines – Despite reports saying that the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has disbanded the Gilas basketball program, team manager Butch Antonio says that the Philippine men’s national basketball team is just “under review” and “evaluation.”

In an exclusive interview with Rappler on Thursday afternoon, October 30, Antonio said that the decision to put the Gilas program under review came after a meeting between the SBP board and the PBA last Tuesday, October 28.

“Well, the truth of the matter is, the SBP had a board meeting two days ago. And one of the topics was the national team. I don’t think it’s right to say it was disbanded, more like it’s under review,” Antonio said.

“I think it’s a little too harsh to say it was disbanded or dissolved.”

(RELATED: Chot Reyes is out as national team coach as Gilas is reevaluated by SBP)

Those sentiments are in line with Philippine Basketball Association media bureau chief Willie Marcial, who issued a statement about the league’s involvement with the program and to address rumors that Gilas would be disbanded.

“The SBP is not dissolving or discontinuing the Gilas Program. It is a successful program that has the PBA’s full support. 

“The formation by the SBP of a Selection Committee to choose a Head Coach for the Gilas National Team, to create a pool of players from which the National Team can draw, and to synchronize the PBA calendar and the Gilas National Team training schedule is proof of a stronger collaborative effort on the part of the SBP and the PBA, its team owners and governors, as well as other stakeholders, to finetune the Gilas basketball program. 

Marcial adds: “The objective of the Selection Committee is clear: to consolidate the gains of the existing program and to chart a strategic course to improve current performance. This process will adopt a systematic, methodical and inclusive approach to ensure that Philippine basketball becomes more competitive internationally both in the short and long term.”

(RELATED: Chot Reyes takes blame for disappointing Asian Games stint)

The SBP plans on forming a selection committee to help make decisions regarding the future of Gilas.

Antonio says that a major reason why the SBP has taken this approach is to give its stakeholders more say in discussions and developments concerning the country’s national basketball teams moving forward

“What our president, si [Manny V. Pangilinan], suggested in doing in part of the evaluation is he created a committee, he wants more participation from the different stakeholders in SBP.”

The committee, Antonio says, will be composed of members of the SBP, PBA, and PBA D-League.

“Maybe from the Commissioner’s Office,” mentioned Antonio. “It’s the PBA board that will assign and appoint who they would want to sit in.

“The SBP board just met Tuesday (October 28). During the month of November, that’s when we’re forming the different committees and sub committees. From there that’s where we plan for next year, because in December they will meet again to discuss the different things to be talked about last Tuesday (October 28).”

Part of the discussions that will be held will be about who will be the team’s head coach. It was also reported on early Thursday afternoon that head coach Chot Reyes, who was with the team in the recently concluded FIBA World Cup and Asian Games tournaments, was relieved of his duties.

“He can still be part as a candidate of the coach [position],” Antonio said about Reyes’ future. “It’s not that he has been outright taken out.

“For all you know, it’s still him. That, we cannot say until the meetings [of the selection committee] start.”

Besides a selection committee for the men’s national basketball team, committees will also be formed for the Gilas Under-16 and Under-18 programs.

“For the U-16 and U-18, the youth teams, we’ll have a committee formed made up of NCAA , the UAAP, the CESAFI and the NAASCU.”

Antonio also said that MVP and SBP will send a bid tomorrow for the rights to host the 2019 FIBA World Cup in the Philippines. The World Championship was last held in the Philippines in 1978.

“We’ll submit everything by tomorrow. There’s a FIBA bid questionnaire that needs to be submitted tomorrow. We accomplished that and we’re sending to FIBA – soft and hard copies.” – Rappler.com