Newsome ready to take on role as Gilas’ veteran voice

You can always count on Chris Newsome to show up for the national team. —FIBA PHOTO

When Japeth Aguilar officially retired from national duties in the first window of the 2027 Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers, June Mar Fajardo was the obvious next in line to assume the role of Gilas Pilipinas’ veteran voice.

Now that Fajardo has made it known that his stint with the national team is running on borrowed time, there is a need for a new leader to step up for the squad.

That’s where Chris Newsome comes in.

“All I can do is really just share my leadership, the knowledge that I have and pass that down so that way, they can continue to carry the torch like the guys that came before us did for us,” the Meralco star in the PBA said.

“I think everybody on this team has their sacrifices and things that they have given up just so they can be in this position. Something that we always talk about is never taking this opportunity for granted.”

The 36-year-old Newsome isn’t the only veteran on the Gilas roster, nor is he the only longtime member of the national pool. PBA stars like Scottie Thompson, CJ Perez and Troy Rosario have received their share of callups and can definitely be the kind of locker room presence that glues a team together.

But Newsome has played the leader role the longest.

“Me being one of the older guys here, I definitely don’t take this for granted,” said Newsome, who is averaging just 2.7 points, 1.8 assists and 1.2 rebounds in six games in the qualifiers. But the more interesting stat is he hasn’t missed a single window yet.

And his presence allows young guards like RJ Abarrientos and Juan Gomez de Liaño to soak up some of the things he has learned as a National.

“I try to pass down all that knowledge that I’ve had throughout my experiences here on Gilas to these younger guys that are coming up. They’re definitely receptive to it,” Newsome said. INQ