THE CHANCES of Gilas Pilipinas doing very well in the Fiba-Asia Championship in China next month, which is the region’s lone qualifying tournament for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, suddenly looks promising with Jordan Clarkson now in deep talks with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.

A 6-foot-5 point guard of legitimate NBA caliber playing for the Philippines is certainly a welcome boost to the country’s chances of winning the tournament, and it has excited this basketball-crazy nation even more.

Clarkson was born in the United States to an American father and a Filipino mother, the former Annette Tullac of Angeles City, Pampanga, while Annette was still a citizen of the Philippines 23 years ago.

Clarkson, according to the cager himself, was issued a Philippine passport when he was 12 years old, which would satisfy a Fiba rule concerning players with dual citizenships to be eligible to any event sanctioned by the world basketball body.

The Fiba wants dual citizens to be identified as such before they reach the age of 16 as it is trying to curb impostors from suddenly becoming dual citizens when tournaments are played.

The prospect of winning the championship in the Fiba-Asia has suddenly improved for the Filipinos, never mind if June Mar Fajardo and LA Tenorio continued to ignore national duty and chose to rest their battered bodies instead of sacrificing them for flag and country in China.

If Clarkson should be eligible, and if Fajardo would do a Marc Pingris and make himself available for the national team, Gilas would instantly be the team to beat in Changsha.

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While Clarkson did arrive in the country last Monday night and showed his old passport to the SBP, why has the Fiba still not given him the green light to play for Gilas next month?

According to the SBP, Fiba has requested additional documents for Clarkson to submit before they decide on the matter, which is quite odd considering that the local cage body had already forwarded the Fiba a copy of the player’s passport.

This corner just finds it quite weird that the Fiba would be looking a little deeper into the Clarkson case, although there is also a weird feeling in me that tends to ask why Clarkson surfaced as a Filipino only at this time.

It’s like this, the Gilas program started in 2009 with a pool of amateur players coming locally and from abroad.

Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz were the first two Fil-Americans in that group, although Clarkson was identified to be half-Filipino that early by Chot Reyes.

I remember Reyes telling reporters one time of this Jordan Clarkson fellow who is supposedly NBA material and who is half-Filipino.

But after that, the next thing I heard of Clarkson is that he was signed by the LA Lakers after being selected 46th overall in the Draft last season.

Then came the World Championship stint that Gilas worked very hard for last year and still, there was no mention of Clarkson coming over to the Philippines to play in basketball’s grandest stage.

Remember, that event, which was held in key cities in Spain, was before the NBA season’s opening. Clarkson was still a no-name at that time and would have been easier to recruit to play as a Filipino for the national team.

Fast forward to today, after his first NBA season that won him an inclusion to the prestigious All-Rookie Team and Clarkson flew to the country to embrace his Filipino roots and show interest in playing for Gilas.

How did his old passport suddenly surface at home?

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Clarkson and his father, Mike, don’t seem to be on the same page as far as playing for Gilas is concerned.

On Thursday morning, a report came out on the web that quoted Mike as saying that his son would not be playing for the Philippine Team because of conflict in schedule with the Lakers.

The SBP was quick to contradict that report by having Clarkson issue a statement for the first time since coming over.

“My father, Mike, has always looked out for my welfare and is only genuinely concerned for my career, my future and my wellbeing,” Clarkson said in the statement.

“His thoughts are that of a very loving dad,” he went on. “I just called him and we agreed to talk about my playing for Gilas when I get back (to the United States). Nothing is cast in stone.

“But I want to assure my Filipino brothers and sisters that, if given the chance and everything can be worked out, I sincerely wish to play for Gilas and contribute to the total team effort for flag and country (in the Fiba-Asia),” Clarkson said.

If Clarkson’s father never knew that he was here in Manila to discuss the possibility of playing for Gilas, when did the Clarkson family ever think of the idea to play for the Philippines ever crop up?

Maybe the elder Clarkson is thinking that, at the rate Jordan is improving, that his son might have a shot at joining a United States team in the future where the Americans are favored to win the gold medal in any tournament.

It’s a wait-and-see game from now on, as, like we said, the Fiba still needs to OK Clarkson’s papers before anything else.

And should the Fiba do so, we will see to which version of a red-white-and-blue flag Jordan Clarkson’s patriotism truly lies.