Gilas stars still weighing options

MANILA, Philippines — Smart Gilas Pilipinas ace guard Chris Tiu has until Wednesday to decide whether or not he will join the PBA Rookie Draft slated on Aug. 28.

When asked about his plans, Tiu was still uncommital on joining the PBA.

“I’m still thinking about it, and I know the other players are thinking about it, too,” Tiu said.

Like Tiu, Gilas point guard JV Casio is also undecided.

But six of their Gilas teammates have submitted the requirements for joining the draft. These are Mark Barroca, Mac Baracael, Dylan Ababou, Jason Ballesteros, Fil-Ams Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz.

Three of the four remaining Gilas players have contracts with the PBA while naturalized Filipino Marcus Douthit is in the payroll of the SBP.

Tiu’s contract with Smart Gilas, as well as that of JV Casio and the six other players will expire on Sept. 30, or 15 days after the FIBA-Asia Championship in Wuhan, China, the qualifier for the 2012 London Olympics.

The event is deemed as the last major tournament for the Gilas Smart team whose aim is to play in the London Games. But at the rate the team has been performing, getting to the Olympics is close to nearly impossible.

Although the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas headed by businessman Manny V. Pangilinan has promised to continue supporting the team even after the FIBA-Asia tournament, some players are probably weighing their options and some of them are perhaps looking at the PBA as a more rewarding alternative.

Although six of the Gilas players have submitted the requirements, only Ababou of the University of Santo Tomas and Ballesteros of San Sebastian, former Most Valuable Players in the UAAP and in the NCAA, respectively, have openly expressed their desire to turn pro.

If Tiu and Casio and the six others jumped the wagon, the Gilas team will be back to square one and the idea of having a built-in national team will no longer be possible.

Even if Tiu and Casio and the others have submitted their applications, however, they can still pull their names out from the PBA Draft list.

They can do this by not joining the four-day Rookie Camp, which starts Tuesday, or by simply informing the PBA Commissioner’s Office ahead of the Draft Day.

Smart-Gilas team manager Frankie Lim said Tuesday that they are aware of the draft and its complications regarding the team.

Waylon Galvez, Manila Bulletin