Overtime

Gilas loses potential coach for FIBA qualifiers as Alex Compton returns to US

Gilas Pilipinas suffers the loss of a potential coach in Alex Compton as he ought to return to the US, leaving the team without the best possible coach to man the bench for its campaign in the Asian Cup qualifiers

/ 8 October 2020

As Compton plans to return to the US to look out for his family’s welfare with no definite time to return, Gilas will have to look for another best-fit candidate upon the upcoming resumption of the FIBA qualifiers this November.

Sources confirmed that Compton has already talked about his decision leaving the home where he served for more than 2 decades, although queries are left unanswered at the moment. 

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) wishes good endeavors for the 46-year-old Compton.

“We wish him all the best in his future undertakings,” said Ryan Gregorio, special assistant to SBP president Al S. Panlilio. 

Compton became aide-de-camp of interim mentor Mark Dickel in the national team’s run in the first window last February.

Eventually, Compton was tapped under Dickel during the Covid-19 pandemic to handle the national team program these past seven months.

Gregorio then clarified that the deal was not on a full-time basis. 

“He was included in the previous window, but there was no long-term agreement signed by coach Alex and the federation,” said the SBP official on Wednesday.

This may be the reason for the coach’s relocation to the US alongside looking out for his family at this time of the pandemic. 

Compton, who had become the lead deputy of the Gilas Pilipinas who finished runner-up to China during the 2015 Fiba Asia Men’s Championship, was seen best fit to call for the shots for the national team upon Dickel’s unavailability due to his current job as an active consultant for the TNT Tropang Giga. 

The SBP has yet to announce potential head coaches as their priority at the moment is to complete its 14-man roster especially with most players’ unavailability in this chronic time.