Jayson Castro announces retirement from Gilas duties

Castro’s retirement comes on the heels of Gilas’ elimination at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) at the hands of New Zealand.

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Jayson Castro, two-time FIBA Asia Championship All-Star, has announced his retirement from international basketball today through his Instagram account.

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The end of our bid for a spot at the Rio Olympics will also be the end of my stint as a member of Gilas Pilipinas. For the past few years, it has been my honor to represent all of you but now it's time to hand over the responsibility to the younger generation. Maraming salamat sa walang sawang pagsuporta niyo sa Gilas. Hindi ko makakalimutan lahat ng pinagsamahan natin. Ako si Jayson Castro William, taga Guagua, Pampanga, lumaban para sa bayan. #7 #PUSO

A post shared by Jayson Castro (@jaywill_17) on Jul 7, 2016 at 7:05am PDT

Castro was a key piece of the national side’s run at the 2013 and 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, which ended with identical silver medal finishes, as well as the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The fleet-footed guard finished the Olympic qualifiers with averages of 13.5 points and 3.0 assists.