The road to reclaiming the Southeast Asian Games glory got tougher for Gilas Pilipinas.
Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes admitted that Japan-based players in Dwight Ramos, Ray Parks, Jordan Heading and Kiefer and Thirdy Ravena will not see action when they compete in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh this May.
Kiefer, for one, also made it clear that he will no longer see action in the SEA Games after winning a record of five straight gold medals before losing to Indonesia in a heartbreaking fashion last year in Hanoi.
In a message to Daily Tribune, Reyes floated the possibility of playing with a roster composed of Philippine Basketball Association players when they try to reclaim the gold medal in the biennial meet set from 5 to 17 May.
“No Japan players,” Reyes said in a message when asked if the stars playing in the Japan B. League will report for duty in the SEA Games similar to what they did in the past three windows of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
Schedule conflict will be the main reason behind the absence of Japan-based stars.
The biennial meet will start around the first week of May but the B. League will not wrap up its season until the following week.
Since the SEA Games is not part of the official International Basketball Federation calendar, the B. League will not stop its season to allow its players to see action.
On the contrary, the PBA could end mid-April should the playoffs of the ongoing Governors’ Cup finish early.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director and spokesperson Sonny Barrios said they are thankful to the PBA for accommodating the SEA Games in its schedule.
“That’s why the PBA has stepped up and made sure that the players will be available by the end of April,” Barrios stressed.
“We can have an all-PBA squad for the SEA Games as an option. But let’s check as well the position of the Japan B. League.”
With the tight schedule , Reyes doubts if they can hold a weekly training camp that is similar to what they did during their buildup for the FIBA wars.
“If the PBA ends around the third week of April, we have to give time for the players to rest, then leave on 3 May for Cambodia,” Reyes said.
“There’s no more time for a training camp.”
Health could also be a major factor as players who are campaigning for Gilas were bitten by injury bug due to their grueling schedules.
Japeth Aguilar and Roger Pogoy, for instance, did not see action in the sixth window due to separate injuries while June Mar Fajardo is nursing a medial collateral ligament injury and Poy Erram underwent a knee operation.