IMAGE C/O YAHOO! SPORTS PHILIPPINES
After placing second in the recently concluded FIBA-Asia Championship, the Philippine national basketball team is already looking forward to the future.
Gilas-Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes revealed through his Twitter account a few days ago that the team plans to invite numerous collegiate stars to join the Gilas cadet pool.
IMAGE C/O CHOT REYES’ TWITTER ACCOUNT (@coachot)
If those who are invited decide to accept Coach Chot’s invitation, then they will be part of a crew that already has many young and noteworthy basketball players such as RR Garcia, Greg Slaughter, Kevin Alas, Matt Rosser Ganuelas, Ronald Pascual, and Garvo Lanete.
The cadet pool of Gilas-Pilipinas will have the task of defending the Philippines’ title in the men’s basketball competition of the 2014 Southeast Asian Games, which will be held this December in Myanmar, according to team manager Butch Antonio.
Antonio also mentioned that the young stalwarts might be part of the national team that will be sent to Korea in September 2014 for the Asian Games.
One of those who are included in Coach Chot’s wishlist is FEU Tamaraw Terrence Romeo. Although Romeo’s overall performance has regressed in the second round of the UAAP men’s basketball tournament, his scoring prowess, playmaking abilities, and clutch play make him one of the best collegiate basketball players in the Philippines today.
DLSU big man Arnold Van Opstal and UST defensive stopper Kevin Ferrer will also get invites, and the same can be said for reigning UAAP men’s basketball MVP Ray Parks, who is currently having a spectacular season for the NU Bulldogs in the UAAP.
Ateneo’s lethal combo of Kiefer Ravena and Chris Newsome will also get the chance to join Gilas’ cadet pool together with Letran’s Raymond Almazan. The towering big man has been superb so far in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, leading his club to a league-leading 9-1 record.
Although the players mentioned above have been invited, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will automatically make the pool.
“Chillax! I just said they’ll be invited. I dint say its a final list, or that sila lang. We still have RR, Kevin, Garvo,Jake,Matt, Ron,Greg,” Reyes tweeted later on.
By: Naveen Ganglani
Follow the writer on Twitter: @naveenganglani
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