Slaughter cleared of any restriction as national player

LAS VEGAS – Seven-foot-one Fil-Am player Greg Slaughter has been cleared to play for the national team without any restriction in a big boost to the national team program geared toward making the FIBA World Cup in China next year.

FIBA secretary general Patrick Baumann issued the clearance in a letter to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Sonny Barrios dated September 7, six days before the Philippine-Iran tussle in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers Thursday in Tehran.

With Slaughter considered as a natural Filipino, a slot for a naturalized player has been left open for either Christian Standhardinger or Stanley Pringle.

“We are happy to announce to the entire basketball-loving Filipinos that SBP’s push to FIBA to prove that Greg is a pure Filipino has been recognized. The SBP is elated with this development in our desire to come up with the best basketball roster for our flag and country,” said president Al Panlilio.

PBA commissioner Willie Marcial and the members of the PBA board, all present here for their annual planning session starting Saturday, were also elated with the development.

“Once June Mar Fajardo recovers from his injury, we’ll have two giants in Fajardo and Greg Slaughter to rotate in the middle. It means we have the option to tap a small guy as a naturalized player. We’ve become a bit versatile,” said Marcial.

The SBP, however, failed to get the nod of the FIBA on Pringle’s status.

Pringle, a Fil-Am guard obtaining a Philippine passport at the age of 29, is restricted to play as a naturalized player.

Christian Standhardinger is tipped to suit up as the naturalized player in the Philippines-Iran game then Pringle is likely to take over in the Philippines-Qatar match.

Cleared of any restriction is Slaughter as FIBA took note that he obtained a passport shortly after the age of 16, but has moved with his family to the Philippines at 19, had studied and has since been playing basketball in the country.

For the Iran game, Slaughter and Standhardinger could well form a solid frontline tandem to match up with Hamed Haddadi. Marcio Lassiter, Alex Cabagnot, Paul Lee, Scottie Thompson and Gabe Norwood could well be among those to surround Slaughter and Standhardinger.

Meanwhile, PBA board chairman Ricky Vargas, also the president of the Philippine Olympic Committee, wants an emphatic triumph in men’s basketball when the country hosts the Southeast Asian Games next year.

With that in mind, he said he would bat for an elite Philippine quintet that would go after the gold medal most precious to the nation.

“It must be the best team,” said Vargas ahead of the PBA planning session at The Venetian Hotel.

The national team program — or the PBA’s commitment to it — is among the most important matters to be tackled in the meeting to be presided by Vargas.

"That's also what we want at the SBP -- always field the best. Kung pwede nga lang si Jordan Clarkson, paglalaruin din namin. But of course, we don't want an overkill for Clarkson," said Panlilio.