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Ni Ime Sornito
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MANILA – Gilas Pilipinas is set to work double time to secure the eligibility of Los Angeles Lakers’ Filipino-American guard Jordan Clarkson to suit up as local player for the men’s basketball team.
Gilas’ chief backer Manuel Pangilinan said that, as a member of International Basketball Association (FIBA) central board, he will lobby more lenient rules on eligibility to allow Clarkson to finally be part of the Philippine team.
“We will persuade the FIBA central board to relax their requirements for citizenship or eligibility of Fil-foreigners into the national team,” Pangilinan said during the launch of Gilas’ partnership with Chooks to Go on Monday night in Makati City.
“If we could get that, we may get the likes of Clarkson to join the team,” added Pangilinan, who will still play an active role for the national men’s basketball team despite relinquishing his post as Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) chair.
Clarkson was supposed to be part of the 24-man Gilas pool for the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament but was not enlisted by then head coach Tab Baldwin due to his still unresolved eligibility issue.
FIBA made it clear to the SBP that only one cager between Clarkson and naturalized center Andray Blatche will be allowed to play since the Lakers guard is still considered a naturalized player for the Gilas.
The Lakers’ sophomore guard had earlier expressed his intention to play for Gilas and has compiled all the papers needed for him to become eligible to play for the national squad.
Clarkson has also committed to be part of SBP’s national team program, at least until 2024. He said he’s “all in” to play in two Olympic Games starting with Japan on 2020./PN
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