Thailand SEA Games will follow FIBA eligibility rules: SBP
THE basketball competitions of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand later this year will adhere to FIBA's stringent eligibility rules, meaning, among others, that only one naturalized player will be allowed per team.
That is the information that the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) received from a recent circular sent by the host country to participating nations.
“For the SEA Games, it’s going to be tough especially because we received a circular last week from the host and they will be strict on FIBA rules,” said SBP executive director Erika Dy.
Under the ruling, Gilas Pilipinas will no longer have the luxury of including multiple naturalized players in the SEA Games roster just like in the last edition in Cambodia where Justin Brownlee and Christian Standhardinger, classified as naturalized players by FIBA, played together for the gold medal-winning national squad.
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“This means unlike past SEA Games where we can have an Ange Kouame and Justin Brownlee on the same team, that’s no longer going to happen unless we get Ange to be a local somehow but I think it’s going to take time for FIBA to even consider that,” said Dy.
Brownlee and Ange Kouame also once played together even though they were classified as naturalized players, and it happened during the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
In the past, passports are enough to make a player eligible in the SEA Games.
The ruling for this year’s SEA Games will have a bigger impact on Gilas rivals particularly Cambodia, which fielded multiple naturalized players to reach the finals of the 2023 SEA Games before losing to the Philippines.
Dy said they will soon discuss within the federation the composition of the team amid availability problems since the biennial multisport event doesn't fall in a FIBA window.
“We have been discussing it a lot. We have no concrete plans yet because there are a lot of suggestions. Kailangan lang talaga pag-aralan mabuti ano ‘yung best way to form a more formidable team for the SEA Games,” said Dy.
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