Is it worth it?

“Maybe this withdrawal from the Asian Games will be a wake-up call for different stakeholders in Philippine basketball and spark a change or improvement that has not happened since our FIBA suspension ended in late 2006.

I’m a believer in the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), but recent developments have cast them in a not-so-ideal light.

Before we delve into those matters, let’s acknowledge that since the federation’s founding in 2007 and since it started handling the national team program, Philippine basketball made great strides.

From being ranked a dismal 65th in the world – lower than teams like Chinese Taipei, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Kuwait, Uzbekistan, and India – in 2007, the Philippines has steadily risen in the past decade.

We peaked at 27th in the world in 2016 after our silver medal finish in the 2015 International Basketball Federation (Fiba) Asia Championship and our gallant stand in the 2016 Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT).

More specifically, since 2007, our men’s national team has qualified in world-level events thrice — the 2014 Fiba Basketball World Cup in Spain, the 2016 Fiba OQT, and the 2021 Fiba Basketball World Cup that we will host.

We have also finished on the podium of major Asian basketball events a total of six times: twice in the Fiba Asia Championship in 2013 and 2015, once in the Fiba Asia Cup in 2014, and thrice in the William Jones Cup in 2011, 2012 and 2015.

Our U16 and U18 teams have also improved, with our U16 boys qualifying in two Fiba U17 World Cups in 2014 and 2018 and our U18 boys entering the 2018 Fiba U18 Asia Cup as favorites to qualify for the 2019 Fiba U19 World Cup.

Even in Fiba 3×3 and women’s basketball, the Philippines has made a lot of headway, and, once again, much of all these achievements can be attributed to the leadership, initiative and sacrifices of the SBP.

Strangely enough, that glowing context is precisely why this past month has been such a weird outlier for the beleaguered national sports association for basketball, the sport for which Filipinos are most passionate.

In the span of a month, the SBP was embroiled in what many consider to be the most violent and shocking basket-brawl to ever happen in international basketball history.

It was also on the receiving end of heavy sanctions and fines by the Fiba, was forced to scramble for a “replacement team” in the 2018 Jones Cup and, most recently, was responsible for the national team’s withdrawal from the 18th Asian Games, something that caught everyone off-guard in the waning hours of 26 July.

The only silver lining this month has been the admirable performance of University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 80 champion Ateneo de Manila in the Jones Cup.

Immediately after the SBP’s thief-in-the-night announcement that Gilas Pilipinas would be pulling out of the Asian Games (remember that “pulling out” of an event is different from not participating outright; the latter indicates that a team had no intention to participate in the first place while the former conveys “urong-sulong” behavior, which is understandably more disappointing), social media exploded with negative reactions.

Fans who wanted to see some of the most promising Filipino cagers don the country’s colors found their hopes dashed.

Rabid followers of the national team were quick to provide their own takes as to why the sudden U-turn from the SBP, especially after confirming their participation only hours before.

Why did the SBP confirm and then suddenly back out?

Why not just go through with the proposed Rain or Shine core reinforced by other available players?

Why not send or tap the 23-for-23 Gilas Cadets?

Why not send Ateneo again? What was so wrong that we, for the first time ever, have chosen to pull out of the Asian Games men’s basketball tournament?

Not long after the announcement, conspiracy theories abounded, ranging from how certain Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) teams once again, refused to lend their players to Gilas Pilipinas or how the SBP didn’t want to spend so much just for a subpar team or how the SBP no longer gave importance to the Asian Games.

To compound things, some representatives of the PBA came out to the public a day after the announcement to decry the SBP’s withdrawal.

The PBA board members claimed that they were not part of the process that led to the national team’s withdrawal with Ginebra governor Alfrancis Chua even expressing his confusion because the Asian Games were not covered by any of the Fiba sanctions and suspensions.

On the flipside, a number of fans and observers stated that though this seems like a black eye for Philippine basketball, perhaps this can also serve as a “one step back, two step forward” scenario.

Maybe this withdrawal from the Asian Games will be a wake-up call for different stakeholders in Philippine basketball and spark a change or improvement that has not happened since our FIBA suspension ended in late 2006.

Judging by initial impressions, however, I feel that seeing this situation with glass-half-full lenses may be bordering on the delusional because in reality what we’re witnessing right now is how this decision to withdraw from the Asiad has widened the divide between the SBP and the PBA instead of strengthening their partnership.

Don’t be surprised if either camp doubles down on their respective positions and that if there’s no unifying resolution in sight, then this problematic situation may worsen and even spill over to the next Asian Qualifiers window in September, possibly jeopardizing our chances of qualifying to the 2019 World Cup despite our strong hold on third spot in our group.

At least in those terms and looking at the current Philippine basketball landscape, the early returns suggest that withdrawing from the Asian Games was a significant misstep.