PBA players open Gilas prep as Kai absence looms
Gilas Pilipinas on Monday will come in shorthanded to begin preparations for big home games against New Zealand and Australia in the second window of the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
Coach Tim Cone said “only PBA players” will be available for the first session, with those suiting up in the B.League in Japan and the Korean Basketball League (KBL) in South Korea expected to be with the team in the next few days.
B.League and KBL players were in action over the weekend, thus delaying their presence in the Gilas camp.
Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu and Quentin Millora-Brown are in Japan, while Carl Tamayo and Kevin Quiambao are in South Korea.
Kai Sotto is also in Japan, but Cone and Gilas have yet to finalize his status for the window, even if the 7-foot-3 center’s camp has been cited in reports that he will be out for the twin home fixtures.
The start of the buildup comes 10 days before Gilas faces New Zealand on Feb. 26 at Mall of Asia Arena as it looks to hurdle a tough foe in the first round of qualification for next year’s World Cup in Qatar.
Australia will be Gilas’ final opponent for the second window on March 1, also at the Pasay City venue.
JMF leads squad
Cone is practically keeping the same core, with June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez and Calvin Oftana expected to report after getting ample rest following the PBA Philippine Cup Finals between San Miguel Beer and TNT.
His Barangay Ginebra players Scottie Thompson and RJ Abarrientos will also be around, as will Justin Brownlee, who is coming off a stint with Meralco in the East Asia Super League.
Meralco’s main man, Chris Newsome, has also assured his availability despite dealing with a knee injury that sidelined him during the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals. He saw action for the Bolts in the East Asia Super League last Wednesday when they lost to the Ryukyu Golden Kings at home.
Converge rookie Juan Gomez de Liaño was a notable addition in the first window preparations, but was not included in the final roster.
The Nationals handily swept the first window in late November by defeating Guam twice on the road and at home.
But Gilas will be hard-pressed to deliver a positive result against both teams, which both defeated the Philippines during last year’s Fiba Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia.
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