SLAUGHTER, LASSITER DECLINE INVITATIONS FOR POSSIBLE FIBA WORLD STINTS
Barangay Ginebra big man Greg Slaughter and San Miguel Beer wingman Marcio Lassiter delivered bombshellsFriday when they separately announced they were declining the invitation to join the Gilas Pilipinas national team for the FIBA World Cup in Spain and the Asian Games in Korea.
Slaughter, the leading Rookie of the Year candidate, made the announcement in a mini-press conference of sorts during the second quarter of the San Miguel Beer – Meralco game.
Lassiter made his announcement after the Beermen beat Meralco in Friday’s first game.
Both players had virtually similar reasons for declining.
“I’m just here to say that I’m not joining Gilas. I’m very honored to be selected for that, but for the past four years of experience there, I know the feeling of new people coming in on something you have started, and having that pressure of not knowing the roster spots,” the 6-foot-11 center revealed.
“I think that the thing they started back in August, they won that and I think that those guys should be the ones to go on and represent the country in Spain,” Slaughter added.
Lassiter seemed to have echoed Slaughter’s sentiments.
“To me personally, it was so hard for me to take away from the players who deserve it, to the guys who actually played there. They’ve been through the battles and the wars and a lot of them deserve it, and I feel like they have some unfinished business in Spain. If I’m in the same position as them and someone will take away my spot, it’ll be hard to give up something that is rightfully their’s, so that’s the reason why I’m withdrawing my name from the pool,” he said.
But Lassiter added there wasn’t any pressure from anybody when he made the decision. Not even from his mother team.
“This isn’t a management decision. This is a personal thing “I want to say it on record that SMC does not have any decision on this. This is more of a personal decision. I feel being a part of Gilas 1, I’ve experienced it and I know what it takes. Its just the time for it wasn’t there,” he added.
Both players said it was a hard decision for them to make.
“It’s a tough decision, but its something I had to do. There’s so many great players in the PBA. A lot of great guys, and a lot of great players would love to have this great position. I just don’t want to hold anyone back either,” Lassiter said while also citing a recurring back injury in his decision to back out of the Gilas pool.
“It’s stemming from a long time since the (Philippine) Cup in my second year. I had a fall, and when I took that fall, it pretty much messed up my back and damaged it. At the time, I really wanted to take the time off, but I really wanted to be there for my team. I should’ve took the conference off, but I played through it. That was my decision – being there for my guys,” he said.
“It’s an ongoing process for me. Its lingering from time-to-time, and it takes some more time to recover and be 100 percent. But also I know for sure that if I’m not 100 percent, i wouldn’t want to jeopardize the Gilas stint and put the team down. That is also an issue for me. I’ll never stop getting stronger and hopefully regain my health. And when the time comes and I can do it again, I hope I can fully gain my health and try to be the same player that I was,” Lassiter explained further.
Both the Cebuano big man and the Fil-Am gunslinger bared they already told Reyes of their decision right after the Gilas’ first practice last Monday at the Philsports Arena.
“I talked to coach Chot and he was the first to know my decision. Coach Chot is a very understanding person and he respected my decision,” Slaughter said. “Originally, I had thought that these 12 will be the ones going to Spain. I didn’t think that there will be any more additions.”
“I have consulted a lot of people, but I just felt that the people who started that, they worked so hard. I realized that the World Championships, that might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but hopefully in the future, we can make it again,” he added.
Both players also left their doors open if in the future, they’ll be once again called up to don the national colors and if health permits Lassiter.
“If I get called in any future national team, I’ll be more than willing to play for it,” said Slaughter.
“If it ever comes down to doing it again, I’ll gladly give my services. It’s just at this point for me, I don’t want to take that away from the players who deserves it,” Lassiter echoed.
Both players were two of the four new names inserted in the 17-man pool by coach Chot Reyes together with Paul Lee and Jared Dillinger.
Slaughter was one of the last cuts in the Gilas squad right before the start of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championships, while Lassiter played in the original incarnation of the Smart Gilas team back in 2009. (RL)
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