It's not the ideal unit but the national team is out to reclaim the crown.
The speculation and guesswork are all over.
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas on Saturday night submitted to the Philippine Sports Commission the official lineup of Gilas Pilipinas, which will shoot for redemption in the 32nd Southeast Asian [SEA] Games in Cambodia.
The so-called Redeem Team that will look to reclaim the SEA Games gold medal is led by Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s Justin Brownlee and Christian Standhardinger. San Miguel Beermen’s Cjay Perez, Marcio Lassiter, and Chris Ross, North Port Batang Pier’s Arvin Tolentino, NLEX Road Warriors’ Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, Meralco Bolts’ Chris Newsome, TNT Tropang Giga’s Calvin Oftana, and college standouts Mason Amos, Michael Phillips, and Jerom Lastimosa also made the final 12.
Gilas will open its bid for redemption on May 9 versus Malaysia at the Elephant Hall of the Morodok Techno National Stadium. Things are bound to get tougher from there, with defending champion Indonesia again looming as the Philippines' biggest threat to regaining regional hoops supremacy.
Coach Chot Reyes, though, is unfazed by the challenges ahead, fully believing that this Gilas iteration is better than the one that lost to Indonesia in the championship game of last year’s SEA Games men’s basketball tournament.