By REYNALD MAGALLON
Gilas Pilipinas is looking to hold Monday practices anew as part of the team’s preparation for the fifth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers in November.
National team head coach Chot Reyes bared the plans during the Senate Committee on Sports hearing on Monday, Sept. 12.
Gilas looks to sustain the momentum from an impressive performance in the fourth window where it held its own against Asian powerhouse Lebanon before handily beating Saudi Arabia.
“We will start our monday practices next week pappapalapit na po yung window sa November madadalas na po iyan,” Reyes told the senators led by committee chair Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go who facilitated the organizational meeting that tackled sports issues including the country’s preparation for the hosting of the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
The veteran mentor, who is the concurrent program director of the Gilas also told the Senate that he was assured of the availability of the players he wished to tap despite the local leagues PBA, NCAA and UAAP being in the middle of their seasons by the time of the fifth window.
The PBA is doing its part in helping Gilas, albeit in a much smaller scale as compared to the previous window, when the Board of Governors allowed Reyes to pick two to three teams where he can choose his players from.
“Maganda po ngayon dahil nagsama sama na yung PBA, UAAP, NCAA and we are given assurance na yung players na pipiliin namin for the 5th and the 6th window will be allowed to play,” said Reyes who attended via Zoom conference.
Aside from players from the PBA and collegiate ranks, also expected to beef up the roster for the next window are players from the Japan B. League. Gilas will be playing a pair of road games against Jordan on
“Darating po yung players from Japan at least a week before the window as well its; not ideal but a lot better than before,” he added.
It’s still unclear, however, whether Gilas is fielding a naturalized player for the November window but the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas has formally seeked the help of the Senate in expediting the process of naturalization for Ginebra and TNT imports Justin Brownlee and Cameron Oliver.
