SBP to review eligibility rule

MANILA, Philippines – With the proliferation of dual and naturalized citizens in FIBA-approved rosters of national teams all over the world, SBP president Al Panlilio said the other day a review of the governing body’s eligibility rules may be in order particularly as Fil-Am Jordan Clarkson’s application to play for Gilas as a local remains in limbo.

FIBA has not ruled out Clarkson’s application as a local but for the moment, he may play with Gilas only as a naturalized citizen. A national team is allowed to enlist only one naturalized player under FIBA rules so that if Andray Blatche is in the Gilas lineup, there will be no room for Clarkson.

FIBA cracked down on the recruitment of foreigners passed off as locals during the 2011 FIBA Asia Championships in Wuhan where Qatar bore the brunt of the purge with five players found to be imports. The five players included the Congo’s Tanguy Ngombo who was the Dallas Mavericks’ second round pick in the 2011 NBA draft. Ngombo had previously played for Qatar at the FIBA Asia Champions Cup and the 2010 Asian Games. Aside from the citizenship issue, Ngombo was cited for producing documents showing two different birth years, one in 1984 and the other in 1989.

Since the Qatar brouhaha, FIBA has required every dual citizen applying for eligibility to be issued a passport of the country the player intends to represent before turning 16. What was supposed to clean up Qatar’s roster led to Gilas suffering collateral damage as Fil-Ams like Stanley Pringle, Chris Newsome, Chris Banchero and Maverick Ahanmisi were ruled ineligible for the national team as locals because their Philippine passports were issued after they turned 16.

In Clarkson’s case, the SBP has submitted proof of his Filipino lineage to FIBA but a decision on his eligibility as a local remains on hold, likely because he’s a high-profile NBA player. The consensus is if Clarkson and Blatche played together with Gilas at the FIBA Asia Championships in Changsha last year, it would’ve been the Philippines not China representing Asia at the Rio Olympics.

Panlilio said SBP vice chairman and former Rep. Robbie Puno will lead a review of the FIBA eligibility rule. “There are Filipino-foreigners with Philippine passports and unquestioned Filipino lineage willing to play for Gilas but they’re not allowed to because their passports were issued after they turned 16,” he said. “It’s a rule that must be reviewed and revisited.”

Panlilio said Gilas didn’t include a naturalized player in the 24-man lineup submitted for the FIBA Asia Challenge set in Tehran on Sept. 9-18 because Blatche is busy negotiating a return to the NBA. The cast could’ve included any Fil-Am with a Philippine passport issued after turning 16 but he would’ve been listed as a naturalized player. Clarkson is also busy preparing for the next NBA season after signing a four-year $50 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Robbie is considering to form a pool of two to four naturalized players whom we can tap for whatever tournament,” said Panlilio, referring to FIBA’s new competition system where qualifying for the 2019 World Cup will involve six home-and-away windows over two years. “Since naturalization requires a law to be passed, there is a process to be followed. This may mean recruiting two to four players to apply for naturalization.