For years, Chris McCollough has campaigned to become a naturalized player.
And at 2019, he had a valid claim.
He piloted the San Miguel Beermen to a Commissioner's Cup title that year. The former Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards forward was 24 at that time, and in 16 games, CMAC averaged 32.4 points, 15.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.4 blocks.
These are above-average import numbers.
That said, McCollough encountered two roadblocks. It's three if you count Ange Kouame. That said, CMAC takes a backseat to Jordan Clarkson and Justin Brownlee. I know it's easy to fast-track the naturalization process, especially if the guy that they are trying to naturalize is going to play hero in front of either a phone or a television set, but we also have to consider that giving away citizenship isn't just a basketball thing.
Again, CMAC takes a backseat.
Away from the Philippines, McCollough had stops in Korea, Lithuania, and Puerto Rico. Since 2021, he has been playing in the Taiwan Professional Basketball League. He started his Chinese Taipei campaign with the New Taipei Kings and in 2023, he moved to the Formosa Dreamers.
Anyway, fans have accused McCollough of playing shady.
And this is insane because it came from the heels of McCollough winning the MVP award AND getting an invitation to become Taiwan's naturalized player.
Look, I don't like accusing players of game-fixing (*cough* that UST player *cough*) because of the repercussions it entails. That said, I saw most of CMAC's fouls and it's easy to see that whether you like the republic or the communist one, nothing beats Chinese-style home cooking. I know every nation has its version of this advantage and the Philippines is no stranger to this as well, but Chinese-style cooking is something else.
Especially with the Jones Cup, Chinese Taipei's most adored basketball baby, of course, we'll see the calls favor the Taiwanese. Again, this is the perks of the home team, especially in these kinds of tourneys. Even the softest of nudges can be amplified with the help of Academy Award-acting, arena reaction, and official bias.
Again, it's not unusual for this to happen.
This is why I don't doubt McCollough's intentions.
The star player usually gets the shadiest of calls. It's like getting annoyed at an enforcer like Eric Camson for picking a fight against, for example, June Mar Fajardo. A Chinese Taipei local will always sacrifice his playing time to mess with McCollough's game - whether that local wears a jersey or a referee's uniform.
And it's like this has never happened with Brownlee. Remember how the Brazilians messed up his game? And how about the stunt pulled by the Chinese when they released the drug testing results that sidelined Brownlee from FIBA-related events? Sure, you can say that the Chinese were just doing the right thing, but you can also say that they were just saving face.
I know want drama, but it's just the breaks of the game. Chris McCollough had a bad night, no thanks to the situation.
And if you really need to blame McCollough, maybe it's because he hero-balled in the latter parts of the game. As I said, even imports have off-nights, but I hate it when they disregard their local teammates. And I guess this is the biggest problem of Strong Group Athletics. Yes, they represent the Philippines, but they have imports as well as players who play for pay rather than play for the country.
Say what you want about Kiefer Ravena, but he knows how the international game works and could have helped Gilas Pilipinas against Latvia. The same can be said with RJ Abarrientos and Rhenz Abando, especially since Brazil killed us with their devil-may-cry attitude and insane three-point shooting. When the imports tried to force the issue, Chinese Taipei got back in the game. When they became frustrated and doubt kicked in, they tried to iso-ball their opponents and just gave up on their plays when the time was about to run out. McCollough is still 29 years old, and while this is old in NBA standards, it's not the case in PH basketball.
There is a reason why Brownlee is more favored than Clarkson.
If McCollough wants to be naturalized, whether in the Philippines or Taiwan, he really needs to trust his teammates.
