POC, lawmakers raise questions over Gilas Pilipinas' shock Asian Games exit

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) as well as some lawmakers are seeking answers following Gilas Pilipinas’ unexpected early exit from the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

The national men’s basketball team bowed out of medal contention after a disappointing campaign, prompting calls for an assessment of what went wrong with the country’s bid to defend its Asian Games gold medal it won with a star-studded team in 2023.

"It was a good thing we got the gold medal in Hangzhou though we have to wait for five years to regain the gold medal," POC president Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino said. “The question is: why do the other countries have so many naturalized players? Why can’t we?”

Gilas opted to field an all-PBA roster with no naturalized imports as Justin Brownlee, Ange Kouame, and Bennie Boatwright were all unavailable for the Asiad.

The squad fell flat early, absorbing an 89-85 loss to Bahrain to open its campaign before venting its frustrations on Kazakhstan with a dominant 109-78 victory.

The Filipinos, though, could not replicate that winning formula in the succeeding game after falling to China with a brutal 105-61 loss that ultimately ended the country's title defense bid.

Tournament recap:
Game 1: Bahrain 89-85 Philippines
Game 2: Philippines 109-78 Kazakhstan
Game 3: China 105-61 Philippines

The loss didn't just deny the country back-to-back titles, it also marked the Philippines' worst finish in the quadrennial event.

"How many naturalized players, how many Fil-Am players that were considered Fil-Am if they secured their Philippine passport before reaching the age of 16," Senator Bong Go said.

"There are qualifications or rules like these for each tournament like the SEA Games, Asian Games. In these Asian Games, notice the first game versus Bahrain, they had maybe four naturalized players."

Go also said his office is already in talks with different agencies, especially the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), to seek answers on why Gilas Pilipinas was unable to defend its Asian Games crown.

"We are calling the relevant agencies, for example, the PSC. They are in charge of Philippine sports," Go added.

"And I'm sure, the support for this Gilas Pilipinas team that was sent was not lacking. I'm sure there were many companies helping out so that they could participate. The problem was not money here. It may be the coordination or the time of preparation."

Before the Asian Games, Gilas Pilipinas picked up two victories at home in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, edging Jordan, 82-81, in overtime before beating rival Iran, 68-56.

The core of Kai Sotto, CJ Perez, Kevin Quiambao, Dwight Ramos, Juan Gomez de Liaño, and AJ Edu came together to deliver both wins at the Mall of Asia Arena.

But Gilas could not secure the commitments of most of those players for the Asian Games due to their professional obligations, with many of them returning to their respective clubs in Japan and South Korea.

This prompted head coach Tim Cone to bank on PBA stars in their Asian Games title defense with the likes of Robert Bolick, Calvin Oftana, Adrian Nocum, Sedrick Barefield, and Zav Lucero spearheading the campaign.

"Our players are all good players. I'm sure those who joined are PBA players, they are professionals. However, the tallest center we had I think is 6-8," Go said.

"It's very difficult for us. We are able to send a 7-footer and our naturalized players. But there was not even one naturalized player was sent, even if they are qualified to play."

—JMB, GMA News