Blatche in, Clarkson out in Gilas cast

MVP confident of Philippine bid in FIBA Manila OQT 

MANILA, Philippines – Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Manny V. Pangilinan said yesterday that Fil-Am Jordan Clarkson will not suit up for the Gilas national team in the coming FIBA Manila Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) but remained confident that the Nationals will have a fighting chance to make it to the Rio Games in August.

Pangilinan hoped Team Phl could find a way to rule the Manila OQT at the MOA Arena in Pasay City from July 5-10, and see the Nationals face off against the world’s basketball powers like Team USA in the quadrennial games.

“I’m always an idealist and pragmatic. To have a chance, we’ve got to focus and stay positive. Conditions must be there to provide the opportunity. We have to send the best team possible, the crowd must be there and the team must be motivated,” said Pangilinan.

As in the last FIBA World Cup and in the most recent FIBA Asia Championship, Team Phl will be composed of stars from the PBA reinforced by naturalized player Andray Blatche. Clarkson, the rising Fil-Am sophomore guard of the Los Angeles Lakers, is out.

“Masalimuot (tricky),” said Pangilinan in describing the route they have to take to get both Blatche and Clarkson in Team Phl for the Manila OQT.

During the last FIBA central board meeting in Geneva last month, Pangilinan said FIBA people themselves suggested Team Phl to just play with Blatche.

“That’s the winning suggestion as the arrangement with Jordan is complicated because he’s an active NBA player. We have to get his approval, his father’s, the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA. We have to go through everything and after that, FIBA may clear only one,” said Pangilinan.

“We’re leaning towards Blatche. It’s the simpler situation,” Pangilinan added. “We hope that we see the Blatche of Spain (during the 2014 World Cup) and not the Blatche of Changsha (during the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship).”

 SBP executive director Sonny Barrios and SBP deputy executive director Butch Antonio said Blatche is expected by the whole country to report to the Gilas camp in May in tiptop shape.

“Butch and I met with the lady representing Andray. We couldn’t overemphasize more the need for Andray to come in shape. The message I gave her, God forbids that he comes out of shape, the media will surely make him feel our disappointment,” said Barrios.

“The FIBA did express disappointment he was not in shape in Changsha,” Barrios added.

Fresh from his stint in the Chinese league in 2014, Blatche was a dominant force in the Seville World Cup. The nine-year NBA veteran, however, struggled with extra poundage in the Changsha Asian meet.

The SBP president, SBP vice chairman Ricky Vargas, SBP vice president Al Panlilio were among those who graced the media launch of the Manila OQT at the Manila Peninsula in Makati yesterday.

Pangilinan said around P200 million is the total cost of the country’s hosting of the event which has drawn global partners in Champion, Japan Airlines, Molten, Tissot, Yanjing Beer and Peak and local partners in Smart Communications, Meralco, PLDT Home Fibr and TV5. 

As the official broadcaster of the Manila OQT featuring the Philippines, France, New Zealand, Senegal, Turkey and Canada, TV5 will feed the event to no less than 120 countries around the world.

Panlilio, chief operating officer of the local organizing committee, announced online sale of tickets starts April 26.

“There’s lot of demand. We’re considering lottery system because of high demand,” Panlilio said. “Season passes will be sold prior to general ticket sales.

Season passes are pegged at P47,000 for VIP, P39,500 for patron section and P31,500 for lower box. Single day tickets are prized P12,000 for VIP, P8,500 patron and P6,800 lower box. During the semis, it’s P12,000 (VIP), P10,000 (patron) and P8,400 (lower) and P14,000, P12,000 and P10,000 in the championship match.