Abarrientos, QMB complete Gilas 12; Juan GDL, Malonzo, Rosario the final cuts

November 25 ------ RJ Abarrientos is finally getting his Gilas Pilipinas comeback while Quentin Millora-Brown will be making his national team debut after the two were named to the 12-man roster for the pair of games against Guam in the first window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

Abarrientos, who last suited up for the national team in 2021 under previous head coach Tab Baldwin, will be running the show at the point guard position alongside Ginebra backcourt partner Scottie Thompson, CJ Perez and Chris Newsome. The 6-foot-10 Millora-Brown, for his part, after finally being granted a local status by FIBA, will be forming a very tall frontline with AJ Edu, June Mar Fajardo and Japeth Aguilar, who hinted at playing his last FIBA window for the national team.

Of course, expected to lead the charge for the Filipinos is naturalized player Justin Brownlee along with the young guns Dwight Ramos, Kevin Quiambao and Carl Tamayo. “These are the 12 that we are going to war with. We are really proud that they are part of it. We wanted to stay loyal to the group that has been with us because these guys know and they understand each other,” Cone said during a send-off press conference on Monday, Nov. 24 at the Upper Deck Gym.

The veteran mentor stressed that it has been a difficult decision cutting off the remaining three members of the pool though he reiterated that Gomez de Liano, Rosario and Malonzo are still part of the team and won’t be suiting up for Gilas only in the first window. “It's been an arduous camp this time around. I just really have to make a tough decision on coming up with the final 12 because everybody came to work. And there was no reason for anybody in or out. They should have been in. “We have to make a tough decision of keeping Juan, Troy, and Jamie home and we're gonna go with the 12, “They were cut from the window today but they are not cut from the program, they are still very much part of the pool,” he added.

Gilas is set to fly to Guam for its first game against Guam on Nov. 28 before coming back home to host the same team for its home game at the Blue Eagles Gym on Dec. 1.

Source: mb.com.ph