Tab Baldwin. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
Gilas Pilipinas coach Tab Baldwin has started doing the rounds with PBA team owners, specifically to borrow their players for the pool from where members of the new national squad will come from.
According to sources, Baldwin has already talked to Alaska’s Wilfred Uytengsu, Globalport’s Mikee Romero and Rain or Shine owners Raymund Yu and Terry Que.
Baldwin got a big scare before winning the Southeast Asian Games title in Singapore recently with a team made up of collegiate stars.
He is said to be interested in tapping Alaska’s 6-foot-7 center Sonny Thoss and gunslinger Dondon Hontiveros for the pool. According to the same source, Baldwin got a favorable response from the basketball-enamored Uytengsu.
Romero also reportedly said yes to the national coach, who is eyeing Stanley Pringle and the high-scoring Terrence Romeo.
Rain or Shine, meanwhile, has yet to give its commitment to Baldwin, who is interested in at least four Elasto Painters counting super point guard Paul Lee and Gabe Norwood.
Que and Yu have been most supportive of national cause, loaning Norwood, Jeff Chan, Beau Belga and Lee to the previous Gilas five.
The Philippines is set to play in the Fiba Asia Championship in China in September where the champion squad will win a spot in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil next year.
The Filipinos finished second to Iran in the last Fiba Asia Championship held in Manila and made their first trip to the World Cup after four decades. Gilas Pilipinas lost three close games to Croatia, Argentina and Puerto Rico before upending Senegal in overtime.