Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Program Director Tab Baldwin believes that the presence of a younger group of players in the roster of Gilas Pilipinas eases the challenges of teaching them how to play in the international stage.
Familiarizing the prospects at an early stage in their careers, according to Baldwin, will give them the experience when they join Gilas camps for certain tournaments in the future.
“As it is right now, so many players come in and they just don’t, I guess, have an idea of the international game and the concepts and the level of skill and the level of intensity,” added Baldwin.
Since the second week of March, the young members of the Gilas Pilipinas national men’s basketball pool have been continuously training, getting ready for the last window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers mid-June and the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade, Serbia from June 29 to July 4.
Baldwin said the national squad is working out double time while inside the bubble in Calamba, Laguna.
“For most days, we practice two times. And the players are up around 7 and until the evening,” said Baldwin in an online huddle following Monday’s episode of The Game on ONE News.
The players come from different schools, but most of them are from the Ateneo Blue Eagles.
Among the newbies from the Blue Eagles are LeBron Lopez, SJ Belangel, Gian Mamuyac, Troy Mallillin, Geo Chiu, Kyle Ong, Jason Credo and Josh Lazaro.
These players have been part of the Blue Eagles, who are seeking to retain the crown for Ateneo in the next season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines cagefest.
They are joined by Carl Tamayo of University of the Philippines and RJ Abarrientos of Far Eastern University.
Others in the team are Jordan Heading and Tzaddy Rangel, who have been drafted first and third in the Philippine Basketball Association Special Gilas Draft last March 14.
This year’s Gilas draftees, William Navarro and Jaydee Tungcab, De La Salle’s Justine Baltazar, Ateneo’s Dwight Ramos and Dave Ildefonso have also been included.
Newly naturalized player candidate Ange Kouame and former practice player Chris Koon, plus 2019 draftees Isaac Go, Rey Suerte and twins Matt and Mike Nieto are also practicing with the team.