Gilas mainstays in Asian Games pool minus Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu

Dwight Ramos (left) and AJ Edu will miss Gilas Pilipinas’ attempt to defend its Asiad crown. —FIBA PHOTOS

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has already submitted the initial player lists for the country’s men’s 5-on-5 and U23 3×3 teams to the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, with officials assuring that the core of Gilas Pilipinas’ championship-winning squad will remain intact despite expected roster adjustments.

Two major cogs, however, are expected to miss the tournament due to club commitments.

SBP executive director Erika Dy said the federation has forwarded a shortlist for the men’s basketball team to the Asian Games organizing committee, although the final 12-man roster for coach Tim Cone’s squad has yet to be finalized.

“There was already a short list that was submitted. But it’s not yet the final list because, just like in the Southeast Asian Games, there can still be changes in the end,” Dy said during Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Philippine Sports Commission media room.

The shortlist was drawn from an earlier 30-plus-man pool submitted by the SBP.

More importantly, Dy assured that Gilas’ established mainstays remain part of the pool as the Philippines seeks to defend the Asian Games gold medal it won in Hangzhou.

“Out of that 30-plus, the mainstays of Gilas are there,” she said.

But two of those mainstays, key rotation players Dwight Ramos and AJ Edu, are expected to miss the Asiad.

Ramos and Edu have already committed to see action in the B.League Manila Games on Sept. 9 and Sept. 10. Ramos plays for Levanga Hokkaido, while Edu suits up for the Gunma Crane Thunders.

“I think it’s safe to say that Dwight and AJ won’t be available because they’re playing in the B.League Manila Games. So there’s a schedule conflict with the Asian Games,” Dy said.

The pool also includes players who are considered locals under Asian Games eligibility rules, even if they are not classified as locals in Fiba competitions, such as Brandon Bates and Sedrick Barefield.

The SBP has likewise submitted a shortlist for the women’s national team, now handled by new coach BT Toews.

While the senior men’s squad gears up for another gold-medal campaign, the federation is also broadening its talent base for the U23 3×3 program, which faces a demanding September schedule.

SBP 3×3 program director Ryan Gregorio said the national pool is being expanded as the Philippines prepares for the Fiba 3×3 U23 World Cup in Wuhan, China from Sept. 15 to Sept. 19 before immediately competing in the U23 3×3 event of the Asian Games in Nagoya from Sept. 21 to Sept. 25.

“It’s impossible for us to have just one team. We’re expanding our pool and checking on the players available,” Gregorio said.

Complicating matters is the opening of both the UAAP and NCAA seasons, with many members of the current pool still playing for their schools.

The current U23 squad that qualified for the World Cup by winning the Fiba 3×3 Nations League Asia is composed entirely of student-athletes: Adamson’s Earl Medina, University of Santo Tomas’ Koji Buenaflor, San Beda’s Jhun Dela Rama, and Far Eastern University’s Cabs Cabonilas and Jedric Daa.

Gregorio said the expanded pool is expected to include 12 to 15 players, with another U23 squad also set to compete in the Fiba 3×3 Youth Nations League in Petaling Jaya from Aug. 16 to 24. INQ