NEW PBA-BAP MOA ON NATIONAL TEAM TARGETS RETURN TO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS AND OLYMPICS
Friday, 10 September 2004
Officials of the Philippine Basketball Association and the Basketball Association of the Philippines will meet in the next few days for the possible forging of a Memorandum of Agreement with regards to the formation of a truly competitive national team that could have a shot at a return stint in the Olympics.
This developed as PBA Commissioner Noli Eala and BAP Secretary-General Graham Lim made separate pronouncements on this matter.
After the BAP top officials said he was looking forward to have a new MOA with the PBA to replace the outdated pact forged by the two bodies for the 2002 Busan Asian Games, Eala said the PBA is welcoming the opportunity to come up with a comprehensive program for the national team.
밫hat뭩 great news and it뭩 a welcome development towards the formation of a truly competitive national team. We have always welcomed the opportunity to join ranks with well-meaning organizations involved in basketball. With this statement of the BAP, the opportunities to come up with a comprehensive program for the national team are looking more and more realizable,?said Eala.
밪pecifically, I intend to sit down with them as much as possible by next week. As far as we뭨e concerned, we have crafted a program which has been deliberated on and already approved by the PBA Board of Governors. I intend to present it to the BAP. If it뭩 acceptable to them, then it would not be long we would have an agreement with them,?added Eala.
Thus, if ever, the coming PBA All-Filipino Conference could have a new dimension as it would practically become the tryout among aspirants for the national team playing in major international competitions in the next four years.
밫he All-Filipino will look like a venue to evaluate players who will be included in the training pool. It뭩 an added dimension to the All-Filipino conference,?Eala said.
Both Eala and Lim want the meeting to be held as soon as possible.
밡o matter where the meeting will be and who will be there, no problem with me. The important thing is we get to that table together and join ranks in a bid to get the Philippine basketball back to where it used to be,?said the PBA Commissioner.
Once the MOA is done, Eala said they will come up with a short list of candidates for head coach. 밒t would not be long because we have something in mind already,?said Eala.
On the BAP뭩 reported plan to push for the inclusion of one or two amateur coaches to the coaching staff, Eala said it뭩 acceptable to him. That set-up has been done in all the previous teams handled by the PBA.
On a possible conflict with Cebuana Lhuillier, Eala doesn뭪 see one, saying he has had meetings with Cebua-Lhuillier top bossman Jean Henri Lhuillier. In fact, they had a meeting set Thursday night.
The PBA Commissioner thought this is the best time for Philippine basketball to bond together and have a comprehensive program that could give the country a good shot at a return stint in the World Basketball Championships and the Olympics.
The Philippines last played in the World Championships in 1978 when the country hosted the event at the Araneta Coliseum.
If the Philippines were to have a return stint in the prestigious competition, Eala said the country must have a complete package, including the hosting of the ABC championship which serves as qualifier to this event. (NC)