Gilas Pilipinas coach Yeng Guiao confirmed Thursday that naturalized player Andray Blatche will be part of the 15-man national team from where he will select his final roster for the sixth and final window of the FiBA World Cup qualifiers.
“We included Andray Blatche, he’s in the lineup,” said Guiao as he met up with his coaching staff Wednesday and Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Ryan Gregorio.
Guiao said the Gilas management has already informed Blatche of the decision and they expect the former NBA player to arrive on Feb. 1.
Blatche served a three-game suspension after his involvement in an ugly brawl with the Aussies last July.
Guiao, who decided not to bring in Blatche during the fifth window here, said that his main concern still is the latter’s physical condition.
“Until we see him, that’s when we’ll know his condition,” said Guiao, adding that Fil-foreigners Stanley Pringle and Christian Standhardinger are still part of the 15-man national team as “precautionary” but will be dropped from the roster when Blatche arrives.
The national team will resume its practice session on Jan. 21, and on the second week of February, Gilas will fly to the Middle East for a few tune up games.
Gilas plays Qatar on Feb. 21 and Kazakhstan in Feb. 23 in the sixth and final qualifying window of the FIBA World Cup, which is set August 31 to September 15.
The national team dropped its last two games on nail-biting fashions – against Kazakhstan (92-88) and Iran (78-70) last December.
The national team is 1-3 in the last four games, and the two setbacks dropped the Philippines to fourth place with a 5-5 card in Group F behind Australia (9-1), Iran (7-3) and Japan (6-4).
