Jayson Castro, Ranidel de Ocampo, Terrence Romeo, and Calvin Abueva are four of the 16 PBA players part of the Gilas Pilipinas pool.
Gilas Pilipinas pool announced
Jayson Castro, Ranidel de Ocampo, Terrence Romeo, and Calvin Abueva are four of the 16 PBA players part of the Gilas Pilipinas pool.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The national team pool was finally announced.
A list of 16 players from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) were named part of the Gilas Pilipinas pool that will compete in the FIBA Asia Championship in China from September 23 to October 3, according to a post on the PBA's official Twitter account Monday (August 3).
The players Baldwin requested from the PBA are:
Earlier reports said that Tenorio (health concerns), Fajardo (injury), and Pingris (personal matters) won't likely be part of the Gilas pool but the three remained on Baldwin's PBA wishlist.
Baldwin had expressed that the pool is a "working list."
Naturalized Filipino Andray Blatche, who suited up for Gilas in the FIBA World Cup last year, was not part of the list but is expected to be included in the final lineup.
Also missing is Troy Rosario, a Gilas Cadet and one of the top prospects in the upcoming PBA draft.
The journey before FIBA Asia
Baldwin, whose only goal is “to win the gold,” earlier stated that the pool will embark possibly to Turkey or Lithuania for a three-week training camp.
The national team is also slated to compete in a four-nation tournament in Manila in September as part of their preparation for the biennial tournament.
The other participating teams, aside from the Philippines, are New Zealand, Lebanon, and Chinese Taipei.
The competition
The winner of the FIBA Asia Championship will qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The silver and bronze medalists, meanwhile, will have to go through the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
The Philippines is bracketed in Group B with Palestine, Kuwait, and East Asian champion (Hong Kong or Mongolia).
Defending champion Iran was put in Group A with Japan, Malaysia, and the South Asia qualifier, while Group C will make up of Korea, Jordan, Singapore, and China.
Chinese Taipei, Lebanon, Qatar, and Kazakhstan are in Group D. - CNN Philippines
