Qatar had five players deemed
ineligible.
Qatar
has been a thorn to our side and while losing five of their men would be
disappointing, it can rid us off on a potential top squad at the 2011 FIBA-Asia Championship held in Wuhan,
China.
However,
we have a similar problem we need to address.
Apparently
the FIBA officials think Smart-Gilas
mainstays Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz are naturalized players. This is
why both guys missed the team’s tournament debut against the United Arab Emirates. Without the
proper “naturalization papers”, these two will be prohibited in playing for
flag and glory. While Team Pilipinas
won the match, 92 to 52, losing Lassiter
and Lutz are a couple of bad developments for the squad.
As of
this moment, this is how our 12-man roster looks like:
4 – Mark
Barroca
5 – Asi
Taulava
6 – JV Casio
7 – Jimmy
Alapag
8 – Chris Tiu
9 – Japeth
Aguilar
10 – Mac
Baracael
11 – Marcus
Douthit
12 – Kelly Williams
13 – Marcio
Lassiter
14 – Chris
Lutz
15 – Ranidel
De Ocampo
Now if
the worst happen, can the Smart-Gilas squad still use Dylan Ababou and Jason
Ballesteros? The two are with the squad but they are just here to act as
cheerleaders. Since the deadline for the rosters has ended, Team Pilipinas will
have the un-luxury to play ten men if they dismiss the authenticity of Chris
and Marcio’s citizenship.
But
see, the fact that we are scrambling for the FIBA’s approval is stupid.
Marcio
Lassiter and Chris Lutz will never have naturalization documents because they
were naturalized already via birth! These guys have 50 percent Filipino blood!
I really think that it’s funny that Asi
Taulava, the guy that suffered the most with regards to citizenship
authenticity is checking out this drama at first dibs basis. It’s also funny
that Marcus Douthit – the actual
naturalized player – is free from prejudice. I just really think that this FIBA
inquiry is nonsense because they have approved of Lassiter and Lutz’ papers for
about two years or so (Lassiter’s Smart-Gilas stint is longer). These guys have
participated in the Jones Cup, Stankovic
Cup, FIBA Champion’s Cup, SEABA, and other FIBA-sponsored events!
Allegedly,
the person that terrorized the FIBA execs’ heads is the Lebanese coach. Maybe this is some sort of mind game he is pulling
to ensure his team’s success. The team experienced some sort of revamp
following the retirement of superstar Fadi
El-Khatib from international play.
Hopefully
this problem will be resolved ASAP because the Philippines could use Lutz and
Lassiter in fending off the combined power, skill, and homecourt advantage of China – the team they’ll face next in
the group stages.
Game
over!
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