Top rookie Aguilar faces lifetime ban from PBA

Suddenly, this year’s top overall rookie pick whom his coach dubbed as the next important big man in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), is facing a possible lifetime ban from the league he’s projected to dominate in a season or two.

Incoming PBA chairman and Burger King team manager Lito Alvarez said Friday that rookie prospect Japeth Aguilar faces stiff sanctions in the event he continues to refuse signing up with the Whopper, the team that took him as the no. 1 overall in the last Draft. The soft-spoken Burger King executive said sanctions may mean banning him from playing in Asia’s first ever play-for-pay league. “I really do not know what the sanctions are (if he doesn’t sign). A ban maybe from playing in the PBA." “Hindi natin gusto na mangyari kay Japeth ito (We don’t want this to happen to Japeth). I am still hoping that he will reconsider his decision. Pero kung hindi siya lalaro (But if he won't play), we’ll teach him a lesson. Natatakot ako sa puwedeng mangyari sa kanya kapag board na ang nag-desisyon (I’m afraid of what might happen to him if ever the PBA board comes up with a decision)." Burger King has already offered the 6-foot-10 former Western Kentucky University stalwart, the personal choice of Burger King coach Yeng Guiao as the team’s no. 1 overall pick, a three-year contract worth P8.7 million. But in his last meeting with Aguilar and the player’s agent, sports columnist Ronnie Nathanielz, Alvarez said the team offer was turned down as the son of former RP team mainstay Peter Aguilar admitted his intention to play for the RP Smart Gilas squad. Efforts to contact and get the side of Aguilar and his party proved futile. The RP-Smart Gilas team is Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas’ (SBP) long-term program geared towards the purpose of earning a berth in the 2012 London Olympics. SBP executive director Noli Eala initially eyed the services of Aguilar, but shortly after the lanky center made himself available in the Draft, the former PBA commissioner said he has not had a chance to talk to Aguilar again. Sources within the SBP, however, said Aguilar was also offered a three-year deal worth P8.76 million to play for the Rajko Toroman-coached team. Should Aguilar insist on not signing up with Burger King, Alvarez intends to elevate the matter to the PBA Board. “Definitely, I will bring this case to the PBA Board if Japeth doesn’t reconsider." A similar incident involving Alex Cabagnot happened years ago when he refused to sign up with Sta. Lucia which picked him in the first round of the Draft. Buddy Encarnado, the long-time Sta. Lucia team manager and representative to the Board, proposed a lifetime ban on the Fil-Am guard, who later on, relented to sign up with Sta. Lucia. Cabagnot is now with Coca-Cola. Alvarez quoted Aguilar as saying that his desire to have greater exposure and playing time, plus the chance to travel constantly abroad are the reasons why he’s aching to play for Smart Gilas. He added that Burger King is going to allow him to play for Gilas even if he’s already under contract with them. “We’re actually offering him the best of both worlds as he can play in the PBA and with the RP team. The fact that he applied for the Draft, the intention is there to play in the PBA." Unconfirmed reports had it that Aguilar, also a former Ateneo Blue Eagle, was not happy with the limited playing time given to him by Guiao as part of the Powerade-Team Pilipinas that saw action in the 25th FIBA-Asia men’s basketball championship in Tianjin, China. But Alvarez pointed out that the little exposure he got under should not be a basis for not signing up with the Whopper. – GMANews.TV