FIBA Asia 2013 Draw

Image: www.pba.inquirer.net

The Smart Gilas Pilipinas team is currently in Lithuania undergoing a training camp in preparation for the upcoming FIBA Asia competition, of which the country will be hosting this year. But while the team is away, the draw for the FIBA Asia 2013 competition was conducted last Thursday to finalize the groupings for the competing teams. The competition will take place from August 1 to 11 in Manila.

As hosts, the Philippines exercised their right to select the group of which they wanted to become a part of. And in doing so, Coach Chot Reyes, together with his assistant coaches, opted to be part of Group A wherein they are joined by Chinese Taipei, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. This will be their grouping for the Preliminary Round of competition. Three teams will be moving on to the second round of competition from the Group A wherein they are set to meet with the top teams from Group B.

The Group C is dubbed as the clash of the big guns as the top three teams in FIBA Asia were a part of - China, Korea, and Iran, all of which combine a total of 19 gold medals in the history of FIBA Asia championships.

The draw ceremony was presided over by FIBA Asia Secretary General Hagop Khajirian wherein he announced, "the successful completion of the Draw Ceremony, the stage is set for the competition at the 27th FIBA Asia Championship, the biggest event in FIBA Asia." The FIBA Asia Championship will serve as a qualifying tournament for the FIBA World Cup.

To see the full list of groupings, you can check below:

Group A

Philippines
Jordan
Chinese Taipei
Saudi Arabia

Group B

Japan
Lebanon
Qatar
Hong Kong

Group C

China
Korea
Iran
SEABA2

Group D

India
Kazakhstan
Bahrain
SEABA1

What do you think of the Smart Gilas Pilipinas' chances in the FIBA Asia tournament?

PBA Ready to Expand with 2 More Teams and Governor's Cup Update

Image: interaksyon.com

The Alaska Aces was crowned champions of the recent PBA Commissioner'sCup finals wherein they defeated Brgy. Ginebra in a 3-0 sweep. But as the league officials are prepping for the upcoming FIBA Asia competition that the country will be hosting, they are also looking to make improvements in the upcoming Governor's Cup conference. One of the major steps taken by league commissioner Chito Salud is to express that he is open to the idea of adding new teams in the PBA.

Comm. Salud clarifies, however, there are no teams currently in line to join the league - it's just a possibility that is being presented as of the moment. He said, "I think we're ready to bring in two more teams, considering the quality and quantity of the players out there."

The PBA commissioner has also confirmed that there are two groups that are proposing entry into the league. However, their proposals are being reviewed if they do have the sustainability to operate a franchise in the PBA. He also cited the record live attendances at the games during the recent Commissioner's Cup conference that has helped the league to go on an upswing. For this, the PBA commissioner's office has received inquiries from various companies on how to obtain a franchise in the league. A team owner for a D-League team (although Salud refused to spill out more details on this) had expressed intent to join the PBA.

The PBA is being viewed by business owners as a good launching pad for business investment. After all, it has one of the biggest audience shares in the local TV. The fact that not one team has dominated the competition over the past two years, meaning no team has swept the crown in all three conferences, had been a positive indicator of parity among all franchises.

Meanwhile, PBA Comm. Salud has also rescheduled the Governor's Cup to make way for the upcoming FIBA Asia tournament. All of the league owners had agreed to these changes. This will allow the Smart Gilas Pilipinas, which consists of mainly PBA players, to have at least two months of unhampered training.

From the original May to July 2013 schedule, it has now been moved to August to October 2013. To be specific, the Governor's Cup will open on August 14, 2013 and is expected to end on the final week of October. Imports will be fielded in to help teams in the competition although there will be a 6-foot-5 height limit imposed on these imports.

Below are the suspected imports that will be asked to reinforce their respective teams in the PBA 2013 Governor's Cup conference:

image: pba.inquirer.net

Returning imports:

Talk N Text - Tony Mitchell
San Mig Coffee Mixers - Marqus Blakely
Rain or Shine - Arizona Reid
Air 21 - Zach Graham

New imports:

Barako Bull - Mike Singletary
Brgy. Ginebra - Dior Lowhorn
Alaska Aces - Wendell McKines

Imports currently in negotiation:

Petron Blaze - No definitive option yet from their list of potential reinforcements after initial attempt to tap former RoS import Arizona Reid failed.
Global Port - The team is currently negotiating a deal with former RoS import and former Best Import awardee Jamelle Cornley.
Meralco - They had not finalized a deal with Mario West just yet, although negotiations are ongoing and he is their top option.

Gilas Pilipinas Adds Belga Into the Lineup, Joins Training Camp

Image: interaksyon.com

Smart Gilas Pilipinas is in the thick of its preparation for the upcoming FIBA Asia 2013 Tournament, which the team will be hosting this year. After head coach Chot Reyes’ announcement via Twitter that the Smart Gilas Pilipinas had been un-invited to this year’s Jones Cup tournament, the team is looking for other ways to train and prepare for the upcoming FIBA Asia Championship. And as part of the team’s effort to boost their lineup, Rain or Shine center Beau Belga had been added into the lineup. Belga will replace Slaughter in the lineup, who was kept by his amateur team from joining Smart Gilas’ stint at a Lithuanian camp. 


As of now, Beau Belga is bent in getting the right fitness level so he can be in shape for the upcoming competition that Smart Gilas will be joining in. Head coach Chot Reyes recently named him as the latest inclusion into the Smart Gilas training pool. The 225-lb center has also made a few adjustments in his lifestyle to ensure that he will have faster rate at improving his conditioning, especially since it is his dream to become a national player. 

However, Beau Belga was unable to join the rest of the team as they flew to Lithuania because he is still processing his visa. Once that is good to go, he will be able to join the rest of the team in the succeeding preparations for the FIBA Asia competition. 

The training camp in Lithuania will last for two weeks wherein they will have a series of tune-up games against top Lithuanian ball clubs. Coach Chot Reyes admits that this training camp is nothing like the competitive sharpness they will get when competing at the Jones Cup tournament, of which they had been uninvited. 

Aside from the competitive training they will get, Chot Reyes is also hoping that players will bond and improve their team chemistry, on and off the court, as a result of this trip. Four players, though, won’t be making the trip namely Jared Dillinger, Sonny Thoss and Ryan Reyes, due to their respective injuries. Meanwhile, Kelly Williams had been taken out of the lineup due to his recurring blood disorder.

Gilas Officially Un-Invited to Jones Cup 2013

The Philippine basketball scene was in shock today as Smart Gilas head coach Chot Reyes has officially announced via his Twitter account that the Philippine team won't be able to defend its crown in the upcoming 2013 Jones Cup Tournament, stemming from the feud between Taiwan and the Philippines regarding the fishermen slay. More than the opportunity to defend its crown, Chot Reyes is in dismay as the tournament is a big part of the team's preparation for the upcoming FIBA Asia Tournament.

This is an unfortunate event that erupted from being a political issue that has now spilled over to the sports side. The said shooting of Taiwanese fishermen took place off the Balintang Channel in Batanes last May 9, 2013. However, tensions remain between the two countries and now fans of the national basketball squad are reeling over these recent developments.

According to Chot Reyes, they now have to find a replacement tournament that they can join in in order to prepare for the 2013 FIBA Asia Competition.

Smart Gilas players and sports analysts also react via Twitter to the recent announcement by the organizers of the 2013 Jones Cup tournament:

Smart Gilas Pilipinas won its first Jones Cup tournament last year after 14 years (last time Philippines took home the Jones Cup trophy was in 1998) despite being pitted against a more favored United States team in a close 76-75 game.

What are your thoughts about Taiwan's decision to exclude Gilas Pilipinas from the Jones Cup lineup despite being the reigning champions?