List of prospective Gilas coaches down to 2 names

The search committee for the new Gilas Pilipinas coach met for the second time yesterday and came up with two names that will be submitted to basketball godfather Manny V. Pangilinan next week.

The identities of the two, however, were not revealed when Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Sonny Barrios briefed the media.

Instead, Barrios bared the criteria used in choosing the two, which immediately eliminated Tim Cone, Jong Uichico and Norman Black because they have commitments with different PBA teams.

The committee wants someone who can handle the team full-time, has international exposure, leadership and maturity and is a “winner.”

That leaves naturalized American Tab Baldwin a leading candidate, together with Ryan Gregorio and PBA great Robert Jaworski, the coach of the first-ever PBA-backed squad that won a silver medal in the 1990 Beijing Asiad.

Another qualification calls for the candidate to be able to interact well with the public.

Chot Reyes, the man in charge of the Gilas program since 2012, begged off from being named to the short list after a disastrous seventh place finish in the Incheon Asian Games last month.