Castro, TNT core make up 21-man Gilas pool for World Cup qualifiers

February 16 ------ JAYSON Castro marks his return to Gilas Pilipinas as he spearheads the 21-man pool for the February window of the 2023 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers. The veteran guard is one of the 12 TNT Tropang Giga players who were included in the roster who are eligible to play for the games on Feb. 24 to 28. This will be Castro's first foray with the national team since the infamous Gilas-Australia brawl in July 2018.

Joining Castro are returning national team players Troy Rosario, Poy Erram, Kelly Williams, Ryan Reyes, Matt Ganuelas-Rosser, Jjay Alejandro, and Carl Bryan Cruz. Also making their first Gilas callups include Kib Montalbo, Brian Heruela, Glenn Khobuntin, and Gab Banal. The Gilas pool features the TNT core alongside the top players outside the PBA. Only Mikey Williams was absent from the TNT roster who were called up for the national team pool as he is deemed as a naturalized player in Fiba-sanctioned competitions. Roger Pogoy, who is out due to a left calf strain, and Dave Marcelo were also out of contention for spots in the national team.

Naturalized center Ange Koaume banners the squad together with Robert Bolick, Dwight Ramos, Thirdy Ravena, Juan Gomez de Liano, Lebron Lopez, William Navarro, Tzaddy Rangel, and Jaydee Tungcab. Gilas will play Korea on Feb. 24, India on Feb. 25, New Zealand on Feb. 27, and Korea anew on Feb. 28, all at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Source: spin.ph