The ‘P’ in PBA stands for Philippines after all!

KUALA LUMPUR (Mageshwaran’s AsiaScope) - The past weekend was heavy and heady for Philippine basketball, undoubtedly one of the most active, passionate and involved basketball communities in the world.

First came the decision by FIBA Asia's Executive Committee to move the 27th FIBA Asia Championship from Lebanon to Philippines, who were pipped at the proverbial post by the former in their original bid.

That decision was met by excitement and euphoria by the top bosses of Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), the Philippine National Basketball Federation.

"Samahang Basketbol Ng Pilipinas is pleased to host the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship - a unique opportunity for a basketball country like the Philippines. We will do our best to make this event successful. My thanks go to FIBA Asia and to FIBA," said the SBP President MV Pangilinan.

In between the euphoria and excitement came the National Team - called Smart Gilas 2.0 - coach’s reaction with a fair mix of caution, apprehension and anxiety.

"It's official: Manila hosts 2013 FIBA Asia Championship! All d hardwork thru Xmas & New Year paid off. Now d really difficult work begins," Chot Reyes tweeted.

Those who have followed Philippine basketball would surely agree with me that the real meaning of the "difficulty" that Reyes tweeted about is multifarious as well as multi-dimensional.

The difficulty on court encompasses all the traditional, and normal, hard work a team has to go through and be put through when preparing for an event like the continental championships, which also act as the qualifier for the world event - the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. More so, if the last medal for the hosting country now came more than a quarter of a century ago.

The other part of the difficulty for coach Reyes is to be assured that he will have the "best" at his disposal for an assignment, which he termed as a "colossal task."

"While I never shy away from a challenge, I hope to have the best talent at my disposal in this colossal task," he said.

While he managed his resources rather well and steered the Philippine NT to a Semi-Final finish at the 4th FIBA Asia Cup in Tokyo, Japan last year with a team of PBA stars, there were still rumors that some players from Reyes' wish list that were still missing.

The latest statements coming from the PBA seem to address Reyes' anxieties, and even calm them.

"This is an opportunity for our team owners to get together to pursue a common goal," PBA Commissioner Chito Salud said in reaction to the announcement that Philippines will host the event, after a gap of 40 years.

"If there are issues of conflict, I think they're not insurmountable. It's important that we keep an eye on the prize, that we work together to make this a successful effort. We realise we need to field the most competitive team so we can qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain next year. We're happy and proud that Manila will be hosting the FIBA Asia Championships," he went on.

After all, the ‘P’ in PBA stands for Philippines! Go Pilipinas!

So long...

S Mageshwaran

FIBA Asia

FIBA’s columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

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