By JONAS TERRADO
Game Today (Xavier University gym)
7 p.m. – Shooting Stars Competition
7:30 p.m. – Gilas vs Mindanao All-Stars
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Gilas Pilipinas finally gets to see action as part of its buildup for the SEABA Championship when it takes on the Mindanao selection tonight to kick off the PBA All-Star Week at the Xavier University gym here.
After spending the last three months on mostly once-a-week practices, Gilas will have a chance to further strengthen its chemistry oncourt in the 7:30 p.m. affair – the first of a series that includes stops in Lucena and Cebu against some of the league’s best players who will represent their respective regions in this spectacle backed by HMR Trading, Mueller, Peak, Crystal Clear, Anako, Davco, Smart, Buffalo Resto Grill, Cloudfone and Petron.
National team veterans June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel and Terrence Romeo of GlobalPort lead the Chot Reyes-coached squad composed mostly of rookies who were part of the Gilas pool prior to their entry in the PBA draft.
Fajardo and Romeo are joined by Rain or Shine’s Mike Tolomia, TNT KaTropa’s RR Pogoy, Phoenix’s Matthew Wright, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s Kevin Ferrer, Alaska’s Carl Bryan Cruz, NLEX’s Fonso Gotladera and Bradwyn Guinto.
The other player for Gilas is Mahindra’s veteran playmaker LA Revilla, who was selected to the Gilas pool from the 12 PBA players named by Reyes last January.
“I’m looking forward to it because that’s basically our only tuneup as a team before SEABA,” said Reyes, whose team hosts the FIBA Asia Cup qualifier on May 12 to 18 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“We’re not going to be able to have any chance, and even then it’s not going to be perfect because we’re not going to have the complete, full 12-man team playing together.
“But that’s better than nothing. We’re not going to have a chance Gilas Pilipinas finally gets to see action as part of its buildup for the SEABA Championship when it takes on the Mindanao selection tonight to kick off the PBA All-Star Week at the Xavier University gym here.