Jordan Clarkson to play in 3x3 World Cup?
“It’s a long shot,” said Barrios. “With Jordan, it’s not just about his OK but also the approval of the NBA and the Lakers. Then, there’s the matter of getting his insurance policy. The 3x3 rule on eligibility isn’t as strict as in the World Cup. For as long as a player has the passport of the country he or she is representing, it’s a go. At the moment, Jordan is eligible only as a naturalized player for the Philippines. I’m now in the process of clearing with FIBA how many naturalized players may be lined up for the 3x3 event.”
The relaxed 3x3 eligibility rule opens the door for the Philippines to enlist Fil-foreigners who are Philippine passport holders, regardless of when they were issued. That means Fil-foreigners like Stanley Pringle, Chris Newsome, Mo Tautuaa and Chris Ross are eligible to play in the 3x3 World Cup for the Philippines.
“We’ll clear with coach Chot (Reyes) how to approach the recruitment of players,” said Barrios. “We’ll put our minds together on this because it’s a major event we’re hosting and we want to do a good job both on and off the court. It’s possible we’ll form a pool of eight to 10 players. For the 5x5 tournaments, the pool starts with 24. We’ll begin to discuss the options after we host Japan on Feb. 25 in the second window of the FIBA Asia/Pacific qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.”
GlobalPort’s Terrence Romeo has been invited to join the pool for the 3x3 World Cup. Another possible choice is San Miguel Beer’s Marcio Lassiter who has previously played for Gilas. A 3x3 team with Romeo or Pringle, Lassiter, Clarkson and Japeth Aguilar would be competitive even at the highest level. At the 2014 FIBA 3x3 World Tour Finals, Romeo joined Aldrech Ramos, KG Canaleta and Rey Guevarra in leading Manila West, representing the Philippines, to fifth place in the 12-team tournament in Tokyo.
Author: Joaquin Henson, Philippine Star
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