Brooklyn's Andray Blatche one step closer to being a Filipino citizen

Brooklyn Net Andray Blatche is one step closer to being a naturalized Filipino citizen as the House Committee on Justice approved Congressman Robbie Puno’s House Bill 3783.

However, before Blatche could be called a Filipino citizen, he needs to appear before a Philippine consulate to verbalize his intent to be one.

JaVale McGee’s naturalization on the other hand was pulled out as the Denver Nugget big man is out indefinitely with an injured leg.

“As you all know, the Philippines qualified for the FIBA Basketball World Cup when our national team—Gilas Pilipinas—bagged the silver medal in the FIBA Asia Championship held here in Manila last year. Our impressive finish, cheered on by millions of basketball-loving Filipinos, raised our FIBA world ranking from 63rd place in 2007, the year the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas was formed, to 34th place today,” Puno said in his opening statement. “In FIBA Asia, the Philippines beat such squads as Jordan, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Qatar, Kazakhstan, and Korea. All these teams have taken advantage of the FIBA rule allowing one naturalized player to play in the tournament.”

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“It would be safe to say that our chances of landing this coveted slot in the FIBA World Cup would have been severely challenged had we not naturalized a player. In the absence of our naturalized player, Marcus Douthit, one would be left to wonder whether the Philippine team would have had a fighting chance against all the other teams, which took advantage of the FIBA rule,” Puno added. “And later this year at the FIBA World Cup, we will again face other teams that all have naturalized athletes playing for them. In the Philippines’ bracket, we will be playing against Croatia, Puerto Rico, Senegal and Greece. All these teams have naturalized players.”

Puno also raved about Douthit, the product of the last naturalization process for basketball. “I can cite him as an exemplary Filipino citizen given what he has done for our national team. Mr. Douthit is no absentee Filipino. He lives here. His children go to school here. We can undoubtedly say that his naturalization is an unqualified success,” the congressman continued.

“Naturalizing Andray Blatche will ensure that we don’t imperil the entire basketball program in the event of an injury to either him or Douthit. This will also promote effective team development as the two athletes could practice against each other and serve as backup players to the other.”

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If Blatche’s naturalization is completed, he will be added to the pool and is expected to dislodge Marcus Douthit from his slot. During the first practice of Gilas, head coach Chot Reyes urged members of the media to support the bill to naturalize Blatche.

“I know there are some members of the media who do not believe in naturalization,” the coach said. “If you think it’s good for us then, you can show your support.”

Reyes was backed up in Congress by Yeng Guiao, a former national team head coach and the current coach of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. Guiao, who is the Representative of the First District of Pampanga, said that getting a naturalized player in the last piece of the puzzle.