PH Basketball: Good News and Bad News
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 09 Sep 2018
Greg Slaughter.
Barangay Ginebra?s gangling slotman Greg Slaughter has been given the go-signal by FIBA to play as a Filipino in the coming Asia World Cup qualifying window against Iran and Qatar starting Thursday.
That?s the good news.
The bad news is, he won?t be able to play at least in the game against Iran in Tehran on Thursday for another reason ? an ankle injury he suffered Wednesday in the Kings? outing against NorthPort Batang Pier in the on-going PBA Governors? Cup.
The 7-foot Slaughter, who coach Yeng Guiao hoped could be his answer to Iranian 7-2 Hamed Haddadi, did not see action in the Nationals? three practice sessions since Friday, including their lone tune up match against a PBA D-League selection Sunday.
?Yeah, I don?t think he can play against Iran, which is four days na lang,? Guiao old this writer on Saturday, two days before he and his boys to Tehran Monday. ?He was still limping when he attended the practice sessions.?
?We?ll see if we can use him against Qatar,? Guiao said referring to the Filipinos? date against the Qataris on September 13 in a close door meeting at the Araneta Coliseum.
Guiao?s problems are not confined to Slaughter alone. FIBA hasn?t yet taken action on the appeal filed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas on behalf of Fil-foreigners Christian Standhardinger of San Miguel Beer and Stanley Pringle of NorthPort Batang Pier.
Both Standhardinger, a Fil-German and Fil-Am Pringle have yet to show proof that they had turned 16 years-old when they obtained their Philippine passports, relegating them to the status of naturalized Filipinos.
FIBA rules provide that only one naturalized can be used at a time during games.
?What we can do in their case is utilize Christian against Iran where his height is needed then use Stanley against Qatar where his speed and playmaking can be to our advantage,? Guiao suggested.
?Anyway, we still have four days before the Iran game to think of the best things we could do amid this many problems. Let?s just see what happens,? the balding NLEX mentor in the PBA said.
Guiao said the official list of the 14-player lineup he will submit to FIBA will be announced before the boys plunge into action Thursday.
As of Sunday, 16 players remain on the training pool, including eight from the fifth placer Asian Games lineup -- Beau Belga, Raymond Almazan, and Gabe Norwood, all of Rain or Shine, Pringle, Standhardinger of San Miguel Beer, Asi Taulava of NLEX, Poy Erram of Blackwater and Paul Lee Magnolia Hotshots.
Invited to join the pool were Alex Cabanot and Marcio Lassiter of San Miguel, Scottie Thompson of Ginebra, Ian Sangalang, also of Magnolia, and Alien Maliksi, also of Blackwater, who were to fill the void left by members of the original PH team who are serving suspension for involvement in a brawl that occurred in the Philippine-Australia game last May.
Despite his numerous problems, Guiao was optimistic his team has what it needs to beat either Iran or Qatar or both to advance into the next window of he qualifiers.
"Offensively we've been running our sets, running our patterns. We've run everything we need against Iran, just a little bit of polishing and fine tuning," Guiao said after Sunday morning before his boys? tune up game at the Meralco gym.
"Right now, we're about 75 percent and the next 25 percent we should be able to put in place the next three or four days," he projected, adding, he?s ben incorporating offensive sets and plays in the past four days so new members from the pool can adjust properly.
"I'm really happy with the progress of the guards like Cabagnot, Scottie and Lassiter. "While the bigs like Ian Sangalang, Japeth play a little bit complicated from the standpoint of the bigs so it will take a little bit time for the bigs to understand."
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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