Aces can’t join Gilas if season’s not over

MANILA, Philippines - Alaska Milk, fresh from a runner-up finish to San Miguel Beer in the PBA Philippine Cup, is firm on its stand on the lending of its players to the national team – it can give all-out support only when the Aces’ PBA season is over.

“We support the Gilas Pilipinas program. We’re willing to lend our players to the national team but they can only attend and not join the Gilas practices until our PBA season is over,” PBA governor and team manager Dickie Bachmann told The STAR.

To many, Alaska forward Calvin Abueva and point guard Jvee Casio are top prospects for the new national pool to be formed by new Gilas Pilipinas coach Tab Baldwin.

“Calvin should be shoo-in and Jvee should be in there too being among the country’s best point guards right now,” said Bachmann.

But the Alaska official insisted their ball club has a policy of letting players attend other matters only when their PBA season is over.

That’s the reason why Sonny Thoss had to give up his spot in the original pool of coach Chot Reyes.

Thoss was a member of the triumphant Gilas squad in the 2012 Jones Cup tourney in Chinese Taipei but moved out of the team when it embarked on a New Zealand training in preparation for the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship.

For the same reason, Abueva declined Reyes’ invitation to join the team.

Baldwin has yet to announce his program, but the PBA has already revised its calendar for the rest of the current PBA season, opening two full months for Gilas’ buildup for the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship slated Sept. 23 to Oct. 3 in Wuhan, China.

The PBA Season 40 ends, at the latest, July 20 to 25, well ahead of the original schedule.

“If we make only the quarters or the semis (of the last conference), then we can let our players practice with Gilas earlier,” said Bachmann.

But again Baldwin has yet to make known how he will run the Gilas training. It’s not certain whether he would call practices in the course of the PBA season as the former Gilas coach did.

At the same time, Bachmann said they have tapped in former Alaska star Jeffrey Cariaso to be the new director of the Alaska Basketball Power Camp and the Alaska Jr. NBA event.

Cariaso, whose tenure as Barangay Ginebra coach has just ended, returned to the Alaska camp, assuming the old job of another former Alaska stalwart Jojo Lastimosa who’s now with the NLEX Road Warriors.

Bachmann said Cariaso could also become a part of the Alaska Aces coaching staff headed by Alex Compton.

Cariaso presided over the launch of the Alaska basketball clinic at the British International School at The Fort in Taguig yesterday.

The 10-time PBA All-Star and four-time Mythical First Team awardee leads the Alaska coaching core group that includes former PBA players Topex Robinson and Rodney Santos, and ladies coaches Melissa Jacob and Ish Tiu.

At Ginebra, Cariaso, after only two conferences, relinquished the head coaching spot to one-time PBA champion coach Ato Agustin.