The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is taking the blame for the loss and eventual silver medal finish of the powerhouse Gilas Pilipinas men’s basketball team in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.
SB president Al Panlilio said this as he issued an apology days after Gilas lost to Indonesia, 81-85, in the gold medal match.
“We apologize we fell short and were not able to give our teams better support that they needed to retain the gold. There are no excuses and we’ve learned valuable lessons. We will bounce back and reclaim our spot (in Southeast Asia) to stay ahead,” said Panlilio in a statement.
The loss ended the Philippines’ 33-year reign in SEA Games basketball.
The national team is now getting ready for two international meets.
First up is the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers in Auckland, New Zealand against the NZ Tall Blacks on June 30, and India on July 3.
Then, it’s off to the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia in July.
The Philippines is in Group D with New Zealand, India, and Lebanon.
Gilas will meet Lebanon in its first game on July 13.