Gilas SEA Games roster revealed PHL U-18 3x3 team begins bid in China
THE PHILIPPINE national men’s basketball team’s preparation for the Southeast Asian Games later this year took further form last Tuesday night with the announcement of the members of the Gilas Pilipinas roster.
Following weeks of training, Gilas coach Chot Reyes finally revealed the composition of the team that will see action in the biennial regional sporting meet happening in August.
In the list submitted by the Gilas think tank for the SEA Games competition are Philippine Basketball Association campaigners Troy Rosario (TNT), Baser Amer ( Meralco), Von Pessumal ( GlobalPort), Kevin Ferrer (Barangay Ginebra), Mike Tolomia (Rain or Shine), Carl Bryan Cruz (Alaska) and Almond Vosotros (free agent).
Also included are collegiate standouts Kiefer Ravena, Ray Parks and Raymar Jose, US collegiate player Kobe Paras and Filipino German Christian Standhardinger.
The team is counted on to keep the Philippines’ supremacy in SEA Games basketball that has seen the country win the title in all but one in the tournaments it participated in since 1977.
“We wanted to see the guys first before we made the final decision. This is the roster for now but it is still open to changes since anything can happen. But this is the kind of lineup we wanted to field in at the Southeast Asian Games. It’s a combination of the cadets and the new guys plus two PBA veterans in Amer and Rosario since their mother ball clubs were generous enough to lend them to the team,” said Mr. Reyes after submitting the SEA Games roster at the team’s practice at the Meralco Gym.
“As far as the lineup, we wanted to have shooters on the court but I think we have a good lineup of big men as well. Our cadet pool has undersized big men but with the addition of Standhardinger, Paras and Rosario I think we were able to address that,” the coach added.
FIBA 3X3 U-18 WORLD CUP 2017
Meanwhile, the Philippines began its campaign in the men’s category of the FIBA 3x3 U-18 World Cup 2017 yesterday, in Chengdu, China.
The Philippine men’s team, bannered Rhayyan Amsali, Ariel John Edu, Miguel Gomez De Liano and Florencio Serrano, is grouped with the Netherlands, Poland, Turkmenistan and Israel in Pool A of the tournament which happens until July 2.
The rest of the pools has Ukraine, New Zealand, Bahrain, Qatar and Georgia in Pool B, Hungary, Slovenia, China, Turkey and South Korea in Pool C, and Romania, Indonesia, Belgium, Jordan and Uganda in Pool D.
Qatar and France are the defending champions in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively, after topping competitions held last year in Astana, Kazakhstan. —