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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 4) – Gilas Pilipinas head coach Jong Uichico expressed optimism that four of the country’s promising basketball prospects will have the opportunity to dress for the national team.
The nine-time champion coach of the Philippine Basketball Association said it will be an asset to Gilas’ preparations for the 2023 FIBA World Cup if greats Angelo Kouame, Kai Sotto and AJ Edu, and prolific scorer Thirdy Ravena play together. .
Uichico emphasized that Kouame, a naturalization candidate to be eligible to play for Gilas, will fill the void on the front line of the roster that has been a perennial problem for the Philippines in international tournaments.
“Being very young, he has a lot of future if he improves a lot. He’s long, athletic and he can block shots. He’s not really an offensive player, but he can rebound and defend,” Uichico said of the 7-foot Ateneo Blue. Eagle, a native of the Ivory Coast.
The two-time PBA Coach of the Year added that it will be more beneficial if Gilas’ front row is propped up by 7-foot-2 Sotto and 6-foot-10 Edu, who are honing their skills in the US.
“As for the three, we will no longer lack height. The ones we are looking for have already been presented to us,” said Uichico.
Instead of going to college, Sotto opted to play for the NBA G League Ignite, a development team that will play in the semi-professional league of the most famous basketball league in the world. This also increased his chances in future NBA drafts.
Meanwhile, Edu prepares for the University of Toledo Rockets playing in the Mid-American Conference. However, the 20-year-old prospect suffered a knee injury in his game on Nov. 27, his school newspaper The Toledo Blade reported. His anterior cruciate ligament was previously torn during the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup in Greece.
Uichico, who led a young Gilas team to sweep a fully professional team from Thailand in two games in the qualifying window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup in Bahrain, hopes that Ravenna can be a regular in the national team through despite playing in the Japanese professional league.
“It will all depend on his contract in Japan, I am not very aware of his contract. If he is called up for the national team, will he be able to come and stay for a while?” Uichico said. “Due to Thirdy’s skill set, he’s welcome.”
Former King Eagle Athenaeum was named the patron of the Gilas team when he faced Indonesia in the first window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers last February. He currently plays for San-en NeoPhoenix in the Japanese B.League, the first Filipino to achieve such a feat.
Uichico also emphasized that the addition of these four players bodes well for the national team director Tab Baldwin’s program, which focuses on training and developing current Philippine collegiate stars for the future of Gilas Pilipinas and the upcoming campaign of the FIBA World Cup 2023 to be played in homesoil.
“I know we have a lot of work to do, but this is a good sign that the players are willing to sacrifice for the country,” Uichico said of his young Gilas Pilipinas roster, who competed in Bahrain from November 27-30.
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