SBP considers revisiting Gilas cadet program

MANILA – Getting a ‘volatile’ support from PBA teams, the Samahanag Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has been eyeing returning the Gilas Pilipinas cadet pool program to get the best players for the national team.

Needing more support than what PBA teams now give, SBP vice chairman Ricky Vargas considered revisiting the program which was launched in 2011 but was discontinued.

“We need to come up with a long-term program for SBP rather than rely a hundred percent on the PBA because it’s very volatile… Sometimes they’re there, sometimes they’re not there. There’s no assurance,” Vargas said in a Spin.ph report.

“Ang problema ko we can’t rely on the commitment of the PBA. Hindi lahat. Nagpapasalamt ako sa lahat ng tumulong, but it’s volatile. One day they wake up with full support, the next time partial support, the next time one player per team. So 12 lang yon, kulang pa. Paano kung ang ibibigay mo hindi kailangan, kahit two players pa per team?” he added.

(My problem is that we can’t rely on the commitment of the PBA. Not all. I’m thankful to all of those who helped, but it’s volatile. One day they wake up with full support, the next time partial support, the next time one player per team. So that’s only 12, that’s insufficient. What if what you give is not needed, even two players per team?)

Not wanting to continuously beg for support and commitment to Gilas Pilipnas, Vargas believed that now would be the perfect time to return the cadet program.