Gilas Pilipinas pool for Fiba Asia to be announced Monday

The new pool for the men’s basketball national team is set to be announced on Monday, less than two months away from the 2015 Fiba Asia Championship.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) executive director Sonny Barrios said on Tuesday that the committee is still conferring with the PBA regarding which players will be lent to Gilas Pilipinas.

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“We’re still talking with the PBA. It’s not yet final, but the PBA, under Comm. Chito Salud, is helping us very much to get the players that we want,” he said during the weekly PSA Forum at Shakey’s Malate.

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Barrios, though, said that coach Tab Baldwin might not get all of the players in his wishlist, saying that “there are considerations that we must respect.”

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“Maybe it’s safe to say that coach Tab may not get his ideal list. You have to be realistic. Between now and Monday, there should be movement along the lines of finally being able to announce our pool. Definitely, the pool is more than 12 players, but we need to deal with the cards dealt to us.”

Despite the disadvantages the national team has to work with, Barrios is still positive that the team could compete in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championships slated in Changsha, China from September 23 to October 3.

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“Filipinos are known to rise to the challenge of adversity. Let’s appreciate the half-full part, rather than lament on the half-empty part. We’re working on it and we’re going to have a pool somehow,” he said. CFC