No for Gabe?

HIGHLY TOUTED NORWOOD MAY NOT COME TO AID OF SEAG-BOUND RP 5
By Joel Orellana
Business Mirror
September 25, 2007



There might be no Gabe Norwood on the Philippine men’s basketball team for the 24th Southeast Asian Games in Thailand this December.

A source close to the Filipino-American guard told BusinessMirror that Norwood is mulling to play in Europe as an import and might abandon his commitment to play for the country again.

“He is weighing all of his options,” said the source who requested anonymity. “Kung hindi siya makakuha ng papers that will prove his Filipino citizenship, baka tanggapin niya ’yung offer sa Europe.”

The former George Mason U star has told some of his teammates at SMC-Pilipinas that he might accept a job in Europe and may not be returning for good.

RP team mentor Chot Reyes discovered Norwood in one of their scrimmages in the US as part of the country’s preparations in the FIBA-Asia Championships in Tokushima, Japan, last July.

Reyes was impressed with Norwood’s ball-handling skills and athleticism that he was immediately included in the squad that saw action in the 10-nation William R. Jones Cup where the Filipinos finished third.

After the FIBA-Asia tournament, Norwood was asked to beef up the national team that will see action in SEA Games. He agreed and promised to return after his vacation in the States. But up to now, he has not showed up in the daily scrimmages of the SEA Games-bound team at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

The source mentioned that Norwood had a change of heart after realizing that he can’t make it to the Philippine Basketball Association because he lacked pertinent papers that will prove his Filipino lineage.

San Miguel Corp.’s farm team in the Philippine Basketball League (PBL), Magnolia, is keen on enlisting him in the coming season of the PBL.

Norwood’s father, Brian, a former football star for the University of Hawaii, and mother, Tifanny, were both natives of Hawaii, while his grandmother is a Filipina, making him “a quarter-blooded” Filipino.

With the PBA’s strict guideline for Filipino-foreigners wishing to apply in the league, the source added that Norwood “doubts” if he can secure the documents that will help him to qualify for the PBA.

Norwood helped the Patriots reached the Final Four of the US Division One in 2006. Some international scouts were impressed by his game, and Norwood was bombarded with offers to bring his acts to either US or Europe.

RP coach Junel Baculi, the man tasked to defend the SEA Games title set from December 6 to 16 in Nakhon Ratchisima province in Thailand, is still hopeful that Norwood would keep his promise to play for the country.