Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 11) – Six-time PBA Most Valuable Player awardee June Mar Fajardo and reliable big man Japeth Aguilar lead the mix of veteran and young cagers that comprise the Gilas Pilipinas roster for the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Gilas head coach Chot Reyes on Friday announced the 16-man lineup of the men’s national basketball team for the biennial regional sporting competition.
“This is the lineup that would give us the best chance of winning the gold in the SEA Games,” Reyes said.
Fajardo and Aguilar will return to their Gilas duties after over two years. The national team veterans last played for the country in their golden run in the 2019 SEAG held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Phoenix’s Matthew Wright and NLEX’s Kevin Alas will also make a comeback for Gilas. Wright was also part of the winning 2019 SEAG squad while Alas was last seen in a Gilas uniform during the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers.
Other PBA cagers in the lineup are recent Gilas campaigners Robert Bolick, Kib Montalbo, RR Pogoy, Poy Erram, and Troy Rosario.
San Miguel center Mo Tautuaa, who played for Gilas in 2015, will shore up the frontline of the beloved national team as their naturalized player. The Filipino American cager qualifies as an import, not as a local, under FIBA rules since he obtained his Philippine passport after turning 16 years old.
“We have reports of other countries having big naturalized players, so we thought it will be best for us to pick and tap Tautuaa instead,” Reyes explained.
Former Gilas cadet Isaac Go of the Terrafirma Dyip is also included in the lineup. Go left the national team program in January after his contract expired.
Japan B.League standouts Thirdy Ravena and Dwight Ramos, the leading Gilas scorers in their recent 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers campaign, and Ateneo stretch forward Will Navarro banner the young guns in the national team.
New Gilas recruits Lebron Lopez and Caelum Harris complete the 16-man squad, which won 18 out of the 20 gold medals in SEAG history.
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Reyes said he intends to bring all 16 players to Vietnam and will name the 12-man lineup at a later date.
