The day of reckoning for the Gilas Pilipinas pool has finally arrived as head coach Chot Reyes is scheduled to name the final roster of the squad that will represent the Philippines in the Fiba Asia Men’s Championship on August 1 to 11 in Manila.
The 13-man Gilas squad is currently in Napier, New Zealand for a 10-day training camp which will see them sharpen their skills further under the mentorship of New Zealand national team head coach Tab Baldwin.
They will also play in several tune-up games there against different commercial ball clubs as well as against the Tall Blacks, New Zealand’s national squad.
However, the first order of business for the team will be the finalization of their roster with Fiba Asia setting the submission deadline for tomorrow. Reyes has previously stated that he will announce the roster before they embark on their six-game exhibition series.
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Comprising the team that is in New Zealand is the same cast that travelled to Lithuania for a two-week training camp. They are Gabe Norwood, Jeff Chan, Jimmy Alapag, LA Tenorio, Larry Fonacier, Jayson Castro, Gary David, Ranidel de Ocampo, Marc Pingris, Beau Belga, Japeth Aguilar, naturalized player Marcus Douthit and Cebuano big man, Junemar Fajardo, formerly of the University of Cebu Webmasters.
Of the 13, Reyes will pick the final 12 players.
The Gilas is aiming for a top-three finish in the prestigious Asian tournament to enable them to earn a spot in the Fiba World Cup slated for next year in Spain.