PBA adjusts rules for RP pool

Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) director of operations Ricky Palou said yesterday the Governors Cup games featuring the national team candidates will be officiated strictly by Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) referees under the guidance of supervisor of officials Romy Guevara.

Because the PBA will apply International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rules, Guevara has been busy visiting team practices to brief coaches and players on what to expect in the season-opening conference. Last week, he presided in a three-hour meeting of PBA coaches and team officials before setting the individual briefing sessions.

Guevara also spent over two hours discussing FIBA rules with TV broadcasters in the PBA office last Tuesday.

Guevara said there will be a lot of adjusting to do, particularly in traveling calls, the pace of the game, and keeping quiet on the floor because a technical foul carries a severe penalty. Under FIBA rules, a technical foul awards ball possession to the offended team plus a free throw if committed by a player and two free throws if by a coach.

Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao said under PBA rules, a 10-point lead in the last three minutes of a game isn’t safe but under FIBA rules, it is because the shot clock is always reset to 24 seconds — never less — and there are less timeouts allowed in the fourth period.

The adjustments will familiarize the national team candidates, split into two 15-man squads, with playing conditions they’ll face at the 14th Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, in September.

Two BAP referees will work the games of the candidates teams. So far, the BAP has seconded four referees to the PBA. Games involving PBA clubs will be officiated by the league’s regular pool of 17 referees under the three-man system.