No Asiad accreditation for Lutz, Mercado?

MANILA—The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas on Wednesday expressed uncertainty on the accreditation of Sol Mercado and Chris Lutz for the Asian Games because the two were left off the initial list submitted to the Philippine Olympic Committee. SBP executive director Noli Eala said they have to apply separate accreditations for Mercado and Lutz with the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (Gagoc). The POC working committee headed by RP chef de mission Joey Romasanta said any player outside of the 18-man lineup initially submitted by Smart Gilas will have to apply directly to the Gagoc for the Nov. 12 to 27 meet. Romasanta said these applications could be rejected by Asiad organizers after missing the deadline for accreditation two months ago. “We’ll just try our best and hope the organizers allow them to play,” said Eala. Mercado, loaned by Rain Or Shine and the PBA to the national squad, was a last-minute inclusion after James Yap begged off.  Lutz joined Smart Gilas in April but the 6-foot-3 shooting guard from Marshall University only secured his Philippine passport this week. Marcus Douthit, the team’s naturalization candidate, will face the same predicament once the House of Representatives and the Senate grant the 6-foot-10 American Filipino citizenship before the Asiad. “We’ll submit the request for accreditation through the POC and hope that it gets approved,” said Eala.