Baldwin praises Almazan: He belongs with Gilas

Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Gilas Pilipinas coach Tab Baldwin sure knows what he’s getting when he floated the name of Raymond Almazan as a possible member of the pool.

And with the national team in need of warm bodies, the one-time NCAA MVP out of Letran did not disappoint.

“What can I say? I mean anybody that watched that practice would think that he’s been with us every single practice,” Baldwin said after wrapping up Sunday’s training session, the first with Almazan as a practice player.

READ: Practice player Almazan overwhelmed to be part of Gilas

With naturalized center Andray Blatche now with the team, Almazan plays a crucial role in helping the squad prepare for the upcoming Fiba Olympic qualifying tournament in July.

And Baldwin could not be anymore thankful for Almazan’s willingness to lend a hand.

“His physical and mental adjustment to what we did in one practice is nothing short of amazing. I told him a couple of times that I could not help myself in practice and say, ‘Hey Ray, you’re pretty good.’ He’s really pretty good and he belongs here with us,” he said.

Gilas’ 24-man lineup has already been submitted to Fiba leaving no chance for Almazan to make the national team roster that will compete in the qualifiers.

However, Baldwin said that it may be the case for now, but the future could offer something else.

“The future will be the future. We’re all appreciative to him and to Rain or Shine for having him come in and help us out,” he said. “It really elevates our practices and that our big men can get off and have some rest. It really elevates the intensity of the practice. That’s all that we can talk about right now.”