Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — After weeks of speculation, the camp of Marc Pingris has finally made it official.
The stint of Pingris with the national team is a no-go.
This was confirmed by his manager, Ed Ponceja, on Friday, August 14.
“They have a bad standing in the last conference, and they have a new coach (Jason Webb) and I think magko-concentrate muna siya doon,” said Ponceja.
Ponceja also said that the 33-year-old Pingris is not getting any younger — adding injuries have slowed the cager down.
“And he is not getting any younger, nararamdaman na niya yung mga sakit-sakit,” explained Ponceja.
Ponceja also suggested that Gilas-Pilipinas should consider giving younger players a chance.
“Maga-adjust pa sila sa bagong coach. I think you need to give chance to younger players.”
During the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship run of Gilas, Pingris averaged 4.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and close to an assist per game. But his biggest contribution night after night was his energy on the court.
Pingris was expected to join the national training pool last Thursday, August 14 but he did not show up. While, PBA rookie hopeful Moala Tautuaa trained for the first time with the Tab Baldwin-mentored squad, which has been plagued by injuries lately.
GlobalPort guard Terrence Romeo is down with a flu virus, Alaska hotshot Dondon Hotiveros is nursing a calf injury, while Talk ‘N Text’s Ranidel de Ocampo is still recovering from a hamstring injury. De Ocampo’s TNT teammate Kelly Williams, meanwhile, suffered a medial collateral ligament (MCL) strain on his right knee during the first day of training camp.
Naturalized player Andray Blatche is likewise in sickbay with prostatitis.
