After weeks of back-and-forth communication with the Southeast Asian Games organizing committee, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has finalized the lineup for the Philippine men’s basketball team that will defend the country's title at the 33rd SEA Games basketball, starting next week.
The team is led by NLEX's high-scoring guard Robert Bolick, Blackwater rookie guard Dalph Panopio, and big man Abu Tratter; free agent Justin Chua; and veteran national player and former Barangay Ginebra wingman Jamie Malonzo. Other members include Titan Ultra gunner Von Pessumal and collegiate standouts Cedric Manzano and Allen Liwag.
The new additions — Thirdy Ravena, Matthew Wright, Ray Parks, and VJ Pre — will join original members.
This Gilas Pilipinas squad will be coached by Norman Black.
The revised roster was in response to the Thailand SEAG Organizing Committee's decisions on player eligibility, which the SBP described as “unclear.”
“After a tedious back-and-forth due to initially unclear and constantly changing rules on player eligibility, we at the SBP have submitted this list to the local organizing committee, and it has been vetted and has undergone pre-approvals,” the SBP said in an official statement.
“We extend our deepest appreciation to all the players for dropping everything to compete for Gilas.”
The SBP, now under the leadership of new president Ricky Vargas, also thanked the various basketball leagues locally and overseas for their support and partnership.
“We thank our partners from the PBA, UAAP, and NCAA, and our friends from the Japanese B-League, for allowing their players to compete for flag and country,” the SBP added.
Black, who also coached the team that won the SEA Games basketball crown in the 2011 edition in Jakarta, is now racing against time to mould the team into one solid unit.
Host Thailand and Indonesia are seen as the two biggest threats by Black.
The Philippines lost the basketball crown to Indonesia in a shocking turn of events in the 2022 edition in Hanoi, Vietnam. Gilas Pilipinas, however, regained the crown the following year after beating host Cambodia in the gold medal game in Phnom Penh.
Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame were among the recent cuts after the organizing committee banned naturalized players.