Blatche issue may still hound Gilas

Reports coming from Incheon, South Korea—a day before the 17th Asian Games opens—said that several countries will be protesting the organizing committee’s decision to allow Marcus Douthit to replace the ineligible Andray Blatche in the Gilas Pilipinas basketball roster.

Gold medal contenders like China, Japan and Iran are reportedly set to raise the issue during the team managers’ meeting, pointing out that replacements are only allowed because of injuries and medical reasons.

The report said the protesting countries want no replacement for Blatche since he is ineligible to begin with under a rule disqualifying a naturalized player who has not resided for three years in the country he will play for in the Asiad.

In this premise, the prospect of coach Chot Reyes having just 11 men in his roster looms with Douthit to replace a local mainstay.

Reyes forwarded Gilas’ 12-man Asiad roster last Aug. 13—two days before the deadline—before news of Blatche’s ineligibility cropped up.

The Asiad rule governing naturalized players was first implemented by the Olympic Council of Asia in 1986. Blatche, former mainstay of the Brooklyn Nets, became a naturalized Filipino only last June and was allowed by the world basketball federation (Fiba) to play for Gilas in the recent Fiba World Cup in Spain.

The Incheon Asian Games Organizing Committee (IAGOC) upheld its ban on Blatche despite a strong appeal from Fiba, which will run the cage competition in the Games.

While the IAGOC turned down the Fiba appeal, it did allow Douthit to come in as a replacement for Blatche and is expected to uphold its decision during the team managers’ meeting.

The Philippines has not won a cage gold medal since 1962.