Dwight Ramos to join Gilas for WCQ February window

Dwight Ramos is returning for Gilas duty. FIBA/Paul Ryan Tan (file photo)

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA—The main man of Gilas Pilipinas during the last two FIBA Asia Cup windows is coming back.

Returning Gilas coach Chot Reyes confirmed on Thursday night that Dwight Ramos will join the national team for the February window of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers from Feb. 24-28 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

In fact, according to Reyes, Ramos will be flying sooner than expected.

"Dwight Ramos is coming in tomorrow," Reyes said in Spin.PH's Zoom In podcast.

This implies that the Toyama Grouses cleared Ramos for national team duties even if they still have a couple of games before giving way to the B.League international break.

The Grouses will be playing Javi Gomez De Liaño and the rest of the Ibaraki Robots this weekend on the road.

Gomez De Liaño's younger brother Juan, who was recently released by Japanese second division outfit Earthfriends Tokyo, will join Gilas too along with Ange Kouame and Will Navarro among the pool set up by former Gilas coach Tab Baldwin for the previous international basketball windows.

"They will all make the lineup," Reyes further said.

While Kouame, Navarro, Ramos, and Juan Gomez De Liaño will be joined by key players from TNT, Reyes still looks to bring in as much Baldwin-era Gilas pool members as possible ahead of four games in five nights including two showdowns against South Korea.

"We are getting as much as we can of the team of Tab that fared very well before," Reyes further said.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno