Justin Brownlee. Photo from Fiba
BOCAUE — The cage leaders have been using the Fiba World Cup Qualifiers to identify roster combinations for the global showcase here in August.
But national coach Chot Reyes stressed on Monday night that there are still “no shoo-ins in the team.”
“There’s no one with a lock, and that goes for everyone. So right now, there are no shoo-ins. That goes for all the local players, and even the naturalized players,” he said on the heels of the 91-90 loss to Jordan that capped the Nationals’ campaign.
A solid outing from Utah Jazz star Clarkson during the August window and two spectacular performances from PBA import Justin Brownlee this week has spawned divisive debates on who should take the naturalized slot in the August games.
And that’s not counting the ever-enduring wrangling of which local star or an overseas campaigner should battle the best on the planet.
“With Justin’s performance, there’s little to say. You all saw how effective he is and how well he has played. [With] regards to who the naturalized player is, Justin has always known that he makes himself available for whatever is required by the team. If we need someone to play in specific tournaments, if we need someone to play as a backup for Jordan Clarkson, he’s willing to play that role,” the concurrent program director said.
“We [also] have another naturalized player, right? We have Ange Kouame, and we’re also not ruling out the possibility of even going out and looking for another 6-10, 6-11 guy,” Reyes went on.
Whoever fills the naturalized slot for Gilas has been contingent on the availability of the local players. And going for a certain type of player will prompt the cage leaders to adjust the makeup of the roster.
That was evident in Gilas’ bid to fill the gaps around the absence of Kai Sotto, the 7-foot-3 big man who begged off from this window to focus on the revival of his NBA dream.
And Reyes doubled down on that example.
“With all the uncertainty surrounding the Kai Sotto situation, if he’s not gonna make himself available, then I think we have to think about that as well,” he said.
“I mean, that’s just part of all of the planning that’s on our plate right now,” he added.
“You can’t just come and show up and be on the team, right? Doesn’t matter who you are. You have to be able to be part of the preparation. So that’s part of it. It’s not just being available two weeks before and all that. That’s not gonna happen.”
Gilas now turns its sights on the Southeast Asian Games and a handful of training camps and pocket tournaments overseas in its continued build-up geared towards the World Cup.