THE Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas has finally broken its silence on the Gilas Pilipinas debacle in the just concluded 31st Southeast Asian Games — but barely.
SBP President Al Panlilio yesterday apologized for the national team’s ill-fated campaign where they settled for the silver and failed to win the gold medal that matters most for Filipinos.
“We apologize we fell short and were not able to give our teams better support they needed to retain the gold,” Panlilio said in a statement posted on the federation’s Facebook account.
“There are no excuses and we’ve learned our lessons. We will bounce back and reclaim our spot to stay ahead,” he added.
Like Gilas coach Chot Reyes, Panlilio also said the SBP is taking responsibility for the team’s horror stint in Hanoi despite fielding an all-pro line-up mostly made up of PBA players.
“We at the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas share the disappointment of our Filipino basketball fans and take full responsibility with the results of our 31st Southeast Asian Games campaign,” Panlilio said.
The biggest elephant in the room, however, has yet to be tackled by the SBP.
Reyes, who took over from Tab Baldwin last January, said last Monday that he does not “work for the bashers or the haters. My mandate is to prepare the best team for the World Cup 2023.
“I serve at the pleasure of the SBP,” Reyes added. “I did not apply nor volunteered for this job; I was appointed.”
Gilas’ stunning 81-85 loss to the Indons in the sport most cherished at home was the third time the Philippines failed in its quest for the cage gold, the first in 1979 and again in 1989, both in Malaysia.
The Gilas women’s squad, which won the mint despite a 4-1 card, averted what could have been a gold-medal shutout after the 3×3 men and women teams failed in their golden bids.
The Filipino cagers are set to do battle in the third window of the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Auckland.
On July 1, Gilas tackles India and New Zealand two days.
There’s a possibility Reyes will continue to call the shots for Gilas in the coming tourney but he and the SBP remained mum.
Shortly after the deflating defeat in Vietnam, Reyes accepted full responsibility for the defeat, saying: “Our players played their best. Indonesia came up with a very good game plan. They shot well from the three-point line. In the end, we just couldn’t match it.
“Obviously that’s on me. I take full accountability and responsibility for the result. Like I said, they tried their best and that’s sports. That’s life. Sometimes, things don’t work out the way we played.”
