Marcial claims Baldwin issue not hindrance to SBP relationship

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

After a fiery and controversial weekend involving coach Tab Baldwin, the PBA, and the entire Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP), PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said that their relationship with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) remains unfazed.

Coach Baldwin, the current program director of the Gilas Pilipinas under the supervision of the SBP, had a rough weekend after Baldwin made some questionable comments in an episode of Coaches Unfiltered.

Tactical immaturity was the term Baldwin coined when he tackled what the local coaches lacked and he further explained that the lack in knowledge of more coaching styles compared to the European tacticians is what hinders Filipino coaches.

With the comments Baldwin threw, commissioner Marcial of the PBA and Louie Gonzalez, the president of BCAP, both said that the foreign coach should face the consequences of his words.

Marcial and the PBA board already decided to penalize coach Baldwin with a fine and a suspension as an active consultant of Talk n Text and BCAP strongly supports the move.

However, commissioner Marcial said that Baldwin has reached out to him and wants to talk and smoothen things out.

“Nag-text siya sa akin, ‘Can we discuss it, Comm?’ So sabi ko, ‘Sige.’ Kaya nag-usap kami, by Monday kung pwede siya. Ia-ano ko ‘yung communication kung papano ‘yung conference call namin. Umokay naman siya,” Marcial said.