PBA: Scrimmages eyed next after team practice green light


Management committee to gather guidelines from other leagues for additional protocols
NorthPort practice
In this file photo, the NorthPort Batang Pier practice social distancing during practice before the government implemented the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila last March. (Photo from NorthPort's Twitter account)

PBA teams barely got the green light to resume practice later this month but already the league has plans to send a letter to the Inter-Agency Task Force for possibly allowing team scrimmages next month.

PBA commissioner Willie Marcial has tasked the league’s management committee to gather guidelines from leagues outside the country to ensure the safety of the teams once scrimmages are allowed.

“May mga protocols na kaming ginawa nung last month pa pero sinabihan ko yung MANCOM ko na mag-research sila sa iba’t-ibang mga liga tulad ng football, baseball at baka may madadagdag pa na mga protocols,” Marcial said.

willie marcial
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial (PBA Images)

Only individual workouts are allowed by the IATF once teams begin practices at their training facilities.

Practices are split into batches of five people each under General Community Quarantine and 10 if Metro Manila is downgraded to a Modified General Community Quarantine.

Having sets of guidelines for scrimmages will allow the league to avoid a repetition of the incident where several pro and amateur cagers took part in a five-on-five game prohibited under GCO guidelines.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s Japeth Aguilar and Rain or Shine rookie Adrian Wong were fined P20,000 each and asked to take a swab test for playing in the tune-up that was also participated by Isaac Go and Thirdy Ravena.

READ: No fines on amateurs after playing 5-on-5 game prohibited under GCQ rules -- SBP

The plan to request for scrimmages to resume came after the PBA approved additional measures in the hopes of preventing COVID-19 infection.

READ: PBA coaches agree with health guidelines upon practice return

Among them is the commitment of teams to shoulder hospital bills if their players test positive for the virus.

The Board of Governors also approved the suggestion of San Miguel Corporation sports director Alfrancis Chua to upgrade the testing procedure to swabbing instead of the earlier plan to undergo rapid tests.

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