Youthful Gilas squad steps up to the plate in Asia Cup qualifiers

MANILA, Philippines, November 27 ------ A new-look Gilas Pilipinas squad will mark the country's return to international basketball when the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 qualifiers starts on Friday. The Philippines play Thailand twice in a bubble set-up in Manama, Bahrain, with the national team looking to build on an impressive 100-70 victory over Indonesia all the way back in February. But this will be a very different squad from the team that competed back then. There are no PBA players on the roster, and only four holdovers from the February team. Every member of the squad is either a fresh graduate or a collegiate player.

"Everybody is safe, everybody is raring to go," Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al Panlilio said of the squad, which arrived in Manama last Monday and fulfilled their quarantine requirements. "Mga bata eh, so I guess the energy, the passion of the youth… (Coach) Tab (Baldwin) was saying that it's very inspiring to see these young men carry our flag in such a very unusual period of tournaments," he added. Tapped to lead the squad are the five players drafted by PBA teams last December and loaned to the national team program -- Isaac Go, Matt Nieto, Mike Nieto, Rey Suerte, and Allyn Bulanadi. Dwight Ramos and Juan Gomez de Liano, who both played in the February window, will also be looked upon for leadership. Kobe Paras, meanwhile, has been identified by FIBA as a "player to watch" as he makes his debut in the continental qualifiers.

They play a Thailand team that is composed of professional players but is missing Tyler Lamb, the high-scoring wing who dropped 33 points on an all-pro Gilas Pilipinas side during the gold medal game in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. bMoreover, Thailand has a 0-1 record in Group A after losing to South Korea in the first window. Jong Uichico, who will call the shots for the national team this window, is counting on their youthful energy to make a difference. The squad will play after only a brief preparation period, and with most of the players having been inactive for most of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"They'll give us the energy that we need. Yes, we might lack experience, yes we might lack some size. But the energy that they will give us will be a positive, or an advantage that we can use in our games," said Uichico. "Being young, energetic, lots of intensity, and you know, hopefully this aspect that the young players will give us in this coming games will give us a win," he added. bGilas plays Thailand on November 27 and again on November 30. In both days, tip off is at 9 p.m., Manila time.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com