Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes during a huddle in the 2023 Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers here. FIBA PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Matters involving the Philippine national team will be the top agenda when the PBA Governors convene in their next board meeting.
On Tuesday, Gilas Pilipinas head coach and program director Chot Reyes already submitted his wishlist of 30 names to the PBA.
Reyes, along with Gilas team manager Butch Antonio, sat down with PBA commissioner Willie Marcial and deputy commissioner Eric Castro to discuss what’s coming up for the national team.
The list will make up the teams that will compete in the Vietnam Southeast Asian Games in May, next year’s Cambodia SEA Games, World Cup qualifiers and the Asian Games in September.
The Philippines will also compete in the Fiba Asia Cup from July 12 to 24 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The pool of players are combination of amateurs, PBA standouts, and Filipinos in professional leagues overseas.
Gilas Pilipinas will likely be heavily composed of PBA stars for the upcoming SEA Games with the UAAP and NCAA seasons set to open later this month.
“I don’t think we will have the UAAP players at our disposal so that’s another thing to take into consideration – who are the players who are going to be available? Unfortunately, I cannot answer that question because we have to sit down and actually craft the plans,” said Reyes.
Gilas went 1-1 in the February window of the World Cup Asian qualifiers, blowing out India, 88-64, before absorbing a 88-63 rout to New Zealand.