
Tough task for Gilas
GILAS Pilipinas’ chances in the FIBA Olympics Qualifying Tournament scheduled July 2-7 in Riga, Latvia took another major blow.
Former PBA Most Valuable Player Scottie Thompson of Barangay Ginebra was stricken out of the 12-man Gilas Pilipinas team now currently locked in a three-day, closed-door training camp at the Inspire Academy in Calamba, Laguna.
The 30-year guard, who captured seven PBA champonships and earned MVP honor in 2021, was removed from the team due to a bulging disc that has bothered him during Ginebra’s campaign in the recently-concluded PBA Philippine Cup.
Gilas Pilipinas team manager Richard Del Rosario confirmed the exclusion of Thompson in a report posted by the PBA and expressed doubts that a suitable replacement could still be found with the team already set to leave for Europe on Tuesday.
“Wala pang sigurado (na kapalit) kay Thompson kasi kakailanganin pa ng visa. Baka hindi umabot,” Del Rosario was quoted as saying at the start of the training camp.
The Tim Cone-mentored Gilas Pilipinas is already without injured players Jamie Malonzo and AJ Edu, although Japeth Aguilar and Amos Mason were tapped to take their spots.
.Naturalized player Justin Brownlee and seven-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo will lead the Filipinos, who are hoping to make it to the Olympics for the first time since 1972.
Joining them are Kai Sotto, CJ Perez, Chris Newsome, Calvin Oftana, Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo, Kevin Quiambao, Aguilar and Mason.
Gilas Pilipinas is set to play the Taiwan Mustangs in an exhibiton match on Monday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
The Filipinos, who missed their chance for an outright spot during the FIBA World Cup in Manila, will leave for Europe on Tuesday to play a couple of friendly games against Turkey and Poland.
In the OQT, the Philippines is bracketed with host and world No. 6 Latvia and world No. 23 Georgia in Group A.
Group B will have Cameroon, Brazil, and Montenegro during the qualifiers.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the crossover semis.
Only one team will advance to the Paris Olympics.