Gilas Pilipinas’ roster for the Southeast Asian Games is composed of players suiting up in various leagues like the PBA, MPBL, UAAP and Japan B.League.
The Gilas Pilipinas cast for the Southeast Asian Games is now complete, and things are only going to be tougher.
Coach Norman Black is now concerned about getting the players to convene as soon as possible before the meet in Thailand this December.
The time for preparation, after all, is an age-old problem for any iteration of the Philippine national team.
“My biggest concern now is just preparation, getting them into practice. It's not going to be that easy at this point in the timetable, but I'm sure, as we get closer to the games, we'll be able to get some practices in and be prepared for the tournament,” said Black.
[RELATED STORY: Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser grateful for another opportunity to don Gilas jersey in SEA Games]
What makes this situation even trickier is that his wards are coming from different leagues, including the PBA, Japan B.League and UAAP.
[RELATED STORY: Black explains inclusion of Phillips, Ladi in Gilas SEAG lineup]
Ray Parks will arrive in the second week of December because of his obligations with Osaka Evesa in Japan.
Meanwhile, Kymani Ladi, Michael Phillips and Veejay Pre are in the thick of competition in the UAAP.
As for Jason Brickman and Dave Ildefonso, they are still playing for Abra in the MPBL.
“Ray-Ray Parks won't be here until about the 9th of December because he has games in the Japanese league. But he will be coming in to join the team,” Black said.
“I’m not sure exactly when the UAAP will be over; I'm not sure exactly when Ateneo and La Salle will either win the championship or get eliminated. I have no idea at this point, but we'll do our best to get these guys together and form a team to be competitive in the tournament.”
Still, Black is optimistic that Gilas will be able to log at least 23 days of practice before action gets going in Bangkok, where the Filipinos will defend their crown.
“My estimation is we'll probably get about 23 days of practice in. Some of those days will be twice a day. So we'll have them all together so we can try to form a team as quickly as we can,” Black said.
—
Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.