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| Only finding out about his Gilas pool inclusion through an article, Brandon Bates vowed to give his all in practice. Peter Baltazar |
PASAY—Brandon Bates admitted on Friday night that he had no idea he was chosen for the Gilas Pilipinas pool for the Asian Games until Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Erika Dy revealed his inclusion, along with Sedrick Barefield, during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum on Tuesday.
Bates said he only found out about it when someone sent him an article later in the day.
"I sat in bed the first night, I was like, 'Is this legit?' Because the way I found out was someone sent me an article. I was like, 'I didn't know about that,'" the Filipino-Australian big man said, adding that the SBP reached out to Meralco's team management for his availability.
Bates then said that making the Gilas pool is an honor, and he would do his best in practice regardless of whether he would make the final 12-man lineup or not.
"Honestly, it's an honor. It's unbelievable. I didn't really expect that at all, so it's a blessing. I'm really, really honored, and I just really want to be able to do my best. Whether I'm in the actual final 12 or whether I'm just on the roster in the pool, I just want to be able to give my best," he further said.
The six-foot-nine may have a good chance of making the final Gilas squad to Aichi, as Quentin Millora-Brown, who just signed with the city's Nagoya Diamond Dolphins in the Japan B.League Premier, could possibly not be given clearance since the Asian Games do not fall in a FIBA window.
However, Bates may still need to prove his worth, and he decided to use the Bolts' PBA Governors' Cup game against Barangay Ginebra, mentored by concurrent Gilas head coach Tim Cone, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena as his first "audition".
"There was a little bit of ego where I was like, 'Okay, this is definitely like where I get to show off my stuff,' so I tried my best today. Unfortunately, it was in a loss," said Bates, who came one field goal shy of a double-double with 10 rebounds and eight points on 4-for-6 shooting with two assists and one steal.
Despite a 75-84 Meralco loss on Friday night, both teams will see action again on Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City against separate opponents.
The Bolts will play the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the first game, while the Gin Kings collide with the Magnolia Hotshots in the latest edition of the "Manila Clasico".
With Cone likely to watch the Meralco-ROS game first, Bates vows to make the most of his second "tryout".
"Hopefully, I can bring that spark and that fire for Sunday against Rain or Shine, and it will translate to a win," Bates further said.
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