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On Friday, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) released the names of the players that make up the Gilas team group that will see action in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asian Cup 2021 qualifiers later this year. month in Manama, Bahrain.
The 16-man group of amateur and college stars, SBP said, came together to prepare them for the long term, in line with the sports body’s vision of having more talent available for future competitions, including the 2023 FIBA World Cup. . Cup where the Philippines is one of the hosts.
Part of the group of players under consideration for the Asia Cup window that will begin play on November 26 are Kobe Paras, Juan and Javi Gómez De Liano and Jaydee Tungcab from the University of the Philippines, Dwight Ramos, Dave Ildefonso and Will Navarro from Ateneo, Justine Baltazar de La Salle and Calvin Oftana and Kenmark Carino de San Beda.
Joined by Gilas Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) recruits Matt and Mike Nieto, Rey Suerte, Isaac Go and Allyn Bulanadi.
Ateneo’s Angelo Kouame is also listed as a naturalized player, but it will be determined if he can play, as lawmakers are still out on his status.
The team’s coach will be the group led by SBP Program Director Tab Baldwin, Jong Uichico and Boyet Fernandez.
“When building the team, we take everything into consideration, including the availability of the PBA players,” Ryan Gregorio, special assistant to the president of SBP (Al Panlilio), said on The Chasedown show on Saturday.
“But we know the kind of sacrifices that they (the professional players) made inside the PBA bubble. So. We decided to give them enough time to rest, not only their body but also their mind. And this is a great opportunity to restart our idea of relaunching our program. We recruit a lot of college players who enter the PBA and this is also a good showcase for them alongside other college athletes, ”he added.
But despite having young players, Gregorio stressed that the goal in the Asian Cup window is to compete and win.
The Philippines are currently 1-0 in Group A playoffs after defeating Indonesia, 100-70, in February, behind Korea (2-0).
Gilas will face Thailand (0-1) twice in the November window (November 26-30) and Korea once (November 28).
However, the latter made it known that he would not send a team to Bahrain to compete due to constant concern over the coronavirus pandemic.
“We still don’t know what the verdict will be [on the Korea decision), whether it will be forfeiture or reset [of the game]. But for our part, we are just making sure we are represented at the tournament as advised by our President Emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan. We will play Thailand twice and Korea once. Hopefully, we win them, ”Mr. Gregorio said.
The team has already obtained approval from the Inter-Institutional Working Group for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to carry out training sessions at the INSPIRE Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna, as part of its preparations. – Michael Angelo S. Murillo
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