SEAG basketball back in Manila after 26 long years

KUALA LUMPUR – It’s been 26 long years since the basketball-crazy Filipino nation saw up close and celebrated a SEA Games cage championship on home soil.

This is finally in store again for the country next year, and an expected Gilas Pilipinas title run at the Smart Araneta Coliseum or at the MOA Arena could well be among the highlights of the feats of Filipino athletes in the country’s hosting of 30th Southeast Asian Games.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas will surely not fail the nation especially with a long-term program geared all the way to a possible passage in the 2019 FIBA World Cup and in the 2020 Olympics.

“That’s the reason we built a strong cadet program for tournaments like this,” said Chot Reyes, chief of the Gilas program featuring elite players and cadets to be tapped in major international tournaments leading to possible entry in the world joust and the Olympics.

“This is a very young team, marami pang makikita sa kanila. Hopefully, it goes on until 2019,” said Reyes of the cadet squad that delivered a 12th straight SEAG crown to the country.

Most of the Gilas cadets here are committed in the SBP’s long-term program, including Mike Tolomia, Carl Bryan Cruz, Kevin Ferrer, Von Pessumal and Almond Vosotros.

Raymar Jose is expected to soon be a cadet regular while Christian Standhardinger, Kiefer Ravena, Bobby Ray Parks and Kobe Paras have expressed readiness any time called to serve the national team.

Same with Baser Amer and Troy Rosario who are with the PBA ball clubs of SBP patron Manny V. Pangilinan.

The Gilas program chief also expects more young prospects to come from the country’s collegiate leagues and the PBA D-League.

“We’ll refill,” said Reyes of the continuing process to keep a competitive elite and cadet squads.

The players are now set to return to their mother ball clubs. Reyes gathers the pool again most probably next month to start preparation for the initial widow of the Asian World Cup home-and-away qualifying event in November.

If ever the Philippines would make the World Cup, there would be no conflict in the schedules of the world joust and the SEA Games.

The World Cup in China is set Aug. 31 to Sept. 15 while the 2019 SEA Games is initially slated in November.

“If called, it would be a privilege. I will fight for as long as I can,” said Ravena, now a four-time SEAG champ.

“I’m definitely looking forward to it,” said Parks, a two-time SEAG gold medalist.

Marlou Aquino, Jun Limpot, Vergel Meneses, Johnny Abarrientos, Bong Ravena, Boyet Fernandez, Nonoy Chuatico, Allen Sasan, Vic Pablo, Jolly Escobar, Bong Solomon and Macky de Joya formed the Francis Rodriguez-mentored team that enjoyed adulation of Filipino fans in their SEAG title conquest at the Big Dome in 1991.

The Filipinos missed the SEAG basketball event in Manila in 2005 as the national cage federation was then suspended in the FIBA rolls.