Tall Gilas-PH to face towering Shanghai Sharks

Chot Reyes has prepared a tall Smart Gilas lineup for the towering Shanghai Sharks.

In a post on his Twitter account, the Gilas head coach has tasked skyscrapers Greg Slaughter and Junmar Fajardo along with Japeth Aguilar and naturalized center Marcus Douthit to patrol the lanes for the national five.

They will challenge the frontline of the Sharks led by 7-foot-3 Zhang Zhaoxu, 6-11 Zheng Yali and a pair of 6-foot-10s in Wu Yang and Ji Xjiang during the Shanghai-Gilas exhibition game on May 6 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Tickets to the game will be sold at 50 percent off its cover price.

Providing firepower from the wings for the Nationals are PBA stars Gabe Norwood, Jeff Chan and Gary David while Reyes is keen on testing cadet team members Kevin Alas, Garvo Lanete, Matt Ganuelas, Jake Pascual and Ronald Pascual against the Chinese team owned by former NBA great Yao Ming.

Slaughter is the tallest Gilas slotman at 7 feet while Fajardo of Petron Blaze in the PBA is 6-11. Aguilar, who played with the 6-foot-10 Douthit at Smart Gilas I during the 2011 Fiba Asia Championship, is 6-9.

The Sharks are set to arrive on Friday and will take on a PBA selection on May 7 at Smart Araneta Coliseum.