“They (Gilas Pilipinas) need to regroup. They need to go through the process. They’re hurt (with what happened).

A single shove, a barrage of punches and a chair slammed against the head of a brawling opponent cost the Philippines millions of pesos and international embarrassment brought by suspensions and withdrawal from the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta next month.

In a statement that came shortly before midnight on Friday, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas admitted that it couldn’t form a competitive squad that is capable of winning in the prestigious quadrennial meet.

Instead, the federation will just channel its effort and resources in filing an appeal before the FIBA Disciplinary Panel to make sure that it would be allowed to field a team in the second round of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier in September and the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2019 and 2023.

This sorry development is an offshoot of a brawl that erupted between Gilas Pilipinas and Australia in the third window of the Asian qualifier early this month.

A total of 10 players, including Asian Games-bound Andray Blatche, Jason Castro, Roger Pogoy, Terrence Romeo and Troy Rosario, were slapped with suspension while head coach Chot Reyes and top assistant Jong Uichico were also penalized.

Reyes, the outspoken head coach of Gilas Pilipinas, was sanctioned for inciting unsportsmanlike behavior while Uichico was seen pummeling a defenseless and helpless Chris Goulding with a barrage of powerful punches.

The federation was also slapped with a fine of P13 million for the unsportsmanlike conduct of its delegation on top of the roughly P535,000 penalty for Reyes for his instructions that paved the way for one of the ugliest melees in international basketball.

Aside from this amount, the Philippine Olympic Committee, headed by SBP board member Ricky Vargas, will also have to churn out around $20,000 penalty for late withdrawal of the men’s basketball team.

According to a Daily Tribune source, the penalty for pulling out athletes from the Asian Games ranges from $5,000 to $20,000 depending on how close the withdrawal was made from the opening ceremonies.

Since the Asian Games is a little over 15 days away, the fine is pegged at $20,000 – or around a million pesos.

In 2014, the Indian Olympic Committee was meted with a $10,000 fine after it pulled out its men’s rugby team a month before the opening of the Incheon Asian Games.

“Withdrawing from the Asian Games doesn’t sit very well with OCA and other participating countries since this is an event held every four years. It means that there’s something wrong with your sports program,” a source said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The last time the Philippines skipped the Asian Games was in 2006 in Doha when the country was still under FIBA suspension. It made a return in the 2010 edition in Guangzhou and the 2014 tourney in Incheon, an event that was marred with controversy when Blatche was not allowed to see action and naturalized player Marcus Douthit was instructed to shoot at the opponent’s basket.

Vargas admitted that they have yet to file the withdrawal before the Indonesian Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC).

“We have yet to inform INASGOC about the withdrawal, but we will do it as soon as possible – maybe within the day,” he said in a telephone conference.

“But I appreciate what the SBP is doing. They are looking forward to strengthening our future instead of looking at all this current and try to manage what is current. I also understand the sentiment of the public, but I think this is the perfect time to look at a long-term plan.”

Still, the stigma of the brawl is all over the national team program.

And it cost the SBP not just a hefty amount, but also the golden opportunity of seeing action in the Asian Games.

“This is more than just basketball,” Vargas said.

“They (Gilas Pilipinas) need to regroup. They need to go through the process. They’re hurt (with what happened).”

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