 |
| Vic Manuel, Japeth Aguilar, and Scottie Thompson were called up to the Gilas Men pool for the SEA Games. Dennis Acosta (file photo) |
By Ivan Saldajeno
MANILA—A national team mainly consisting of Ginebra players is expected to play in the Southeast Asian Games as the SBP revealed the Gilas Pilipinas Men pool for the said event on Thursday.
Six stars from the Barangay, namely Japeth Aguilar, Arth Dela Cruz, Stanley Pringle, Greg Slaughter, LA Tenorio, and Scottie Thompson, will make up the core of the Gilas Men pool that will be coached by Tim Cone, who is also with them.
Joining them are TNT's Jayson Castro, RR Pogoy, and Troy Rosario, San Miguel's Junemar Fajardo, Marcio Lassiter, Chris Ross, and Chris Standhardinger, Alaska's Vic Manuel, and Phoenix's Matt Wright.
With the SEA Games lenient about the eligibility of players with foreign descent, that is, the meet only requires the said people to have a passport of their home localities regardless of whether they attained before they turned 16 or not, Pringle, Ross, and Standhardinger can play as locals.
Speaking of Pringle and Standhardinger, this will mark their Gilas Men return after playing in the Yeng Guiao-mentored squads that played in the fourth and fifth windows of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers along with Castro, Tenorio, and Thompson.
Castro's inclusion can be considered as interesting as he already announced his national team retirement last June.
[Related Story: Castro parts ways with Gilas]
Meanwhile, once he stays healthy unlike the last time he was called to the national team, Dela Cruz can finally taste national team action if he makes the Final 12.
Manuel, on the other hand, got his first national team call-up in the 5-on-5 game.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
.JPG)
.jpg)
