SBP to appeal Pringle's case

LAS VEGAS – The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas isn’t giving up hope yet on having Stanley Pringle to play in the national team as a regular national player and not a naturalized player.

“Stanley is getting some more documents and we’ll go back to FIBA (International Basketball Federation). We’re hoping they would validate it and change their position,” said SBP president Al Panlilio in the sidelines of the PBA board planning session at The Venetian Hotel here.

Pringle, the do-it-all NorthPort guard, is part of the current pool as a naturalized player like San Miguel Beer’s Christian Standhardinger.

The two are likely to split the two games Team Philippines is playing in the September window of the FIBA World Cup qualifier.

The rejigged national team, now under coach Yeng Guiao, left Manila late Monday for Tehran where they play Team Iran Thursday. They then immediately fly back to Manila for their match against Qatar at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Monday.

On Friday, the FIBA cleared 7-foot-1 Fil-Am player Greg Slaughter to play for Team Philippines as a regular Filipino player but made a different ruling on Pringle.

“We have taken note of the fact that (Pringle) is claiming to have acquired the legal nationality of the Philippines before the age of 16 but has failed to present the respective passport with a date of issue before his 16th birthday,” said FIBA secretary general Patrick Bauhmann in his ruling.

“The player developed as a basketball player in the USA, where he studied in college. The player spent the first five years of his professional career in clubs outside the Philippines,” Bauhmann also noted.

Still, the SBP is hoping Pringle can submit new documents to support his claim to be a natural-born Filipino who can play in the national team as a regular player.