SBP irons out sked with NCAA, UAAP

TO prevent history from repeating itself, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas is conducting a series of talks with the country’s top two collegiate leagues to iron out possible conflict that may arise with their schedules and the participation of a national youth team in a tournament in Ulan Bator, Mongolia later this year.

Gracing yesterday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s UN Ave., SBP Executive Director Sonny Barrios disclosed he recently met with officials of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and will do the same with their University Athletic Association of the Philippines counterparts next week to discuss the planned participation of the under-18 team to Mongolia using the stars of the two leagues.

“Basically, I’m appealing to both the NCAA and UAAP na mag-tulungan kami regarding our respective schedules, para wala namang conflict na mangyari uli,” Barrios said in the public service program where he was joined by Tao Corp. president and long-time national youth team supporter Joel Lopa and national youth player Tomas Ramos.

The former PBA commissioner said he had sat down with the NCAA Policy Board regarding the issue, and the country’s oldest collegiate league has appointed Fr. Vic Calvo of host Letran to take charge.

“Good thing Fr. Calvo is one of the stakeholders in the SBP,” Barrios said in the Forum presented by Smart, the Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corp. and Shakeys.

Barrios has also talked with Junel Baculi, athletic director of UAAP host National University, who invited the SBP executive to personally attend the league’s Board meeting on July 5 to likewise bring up the subject.

Last year, the under-16 youth team came a win short of advancing to this year’s FIBA under-17 World Championship after losing to Japan 81-94 in the battle for third during the FIBA-Asia Championship in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

That team missed the services of several key players from the San Beda Red Cubs, including Arvin Tolentino, as the NCAA juniors semifinals and championship series ran smack with the tournament proper. The Red Cubs went on to win the juniors title.

“Remember, we missed the World Championship last year by just one win. I’m not making any excuses, but kung kumpleto lang tayo, I think that could have made a difference,” Barrios said.

The under-18 team of coach Olsen Racela left for Singapore yesterday for the South East Asian Basketball Association championship, the qualifying meet for the FIBA-Asia under-18 men’s championship in Mongolia. The top three teams to emerge out of the August 17-26 tilt will represent Asia to the under-19 World Championship next year.

Although a bit wary of the re-tooled Indonesian squad mentored by Filipino coach Nat Canson, Barrios and Lopa, whose company again shouldered the expenses of the under-18 squad, are confident the Filipinos will earn the lone berth FIBA-Asia berth at stake in the June 19-23 tournament.

Meanwhile, Ramos, 17, has just come from a four-day Basketball Without Borders Asian camp in Tokyo, Japan, where he and fellow Filipinos Jay Alejandro and Prince Rivero had the privilege of playing under former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dikembe Mutombo.

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