Prized rookies form new Gilas roster

MANILA, Philippines – Most of the members of the Philippine team to the recent FIBA Asia Challenge in Iran made the new Gilas Pilipinas roster officially announced jointly by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas and the Philippine Basketball Association last night.

Mac Belo, Kevin Ferrer, Mike Tolomia, Russel Escoto, Roger Pogoy, Ed Daquiaog, Von Pessumal, Arnold Van Opstal, Carl Bryan Cruz and Alfonzo Gotladera were enlisted in the Gilas 5.0 along with Jio Jalalon, Matthew Wright and PBA veteran Almond Vosotros.

The 12 incoming PBA rookies will be put in a special draft roster separate from the regular draft to be made available for the 12 PBA teams in the 2016 PBA Rookie Draft set Oct. 30 at Robinsons Place Manila.

And under the new memorandum of agreement between the PBA and the SBP, the 12 PBA ball clubs, in turn, will make available one regular player each on top of the 13 Gilas players initially chosen by the SBP.

This gives national coach Chot Reyes a 25-man pool at his disposal for the team embarking on a mission for another World Cup stint in China in 2019 and a shot at the Olympics in Japan in 2020.

 “That’s the initial breakthrough agreement between the PBA and the SBP. We’ll still have a lot of discussion to improve the agreement,” said PBA commissioner Chito Narvasa.

“It’s a landmark happening in Philippine basketball and a very collaborative agreement between the two parties,” said SBP president Al Panlilio.

The fundamental details of the MOA were announced also in the presence of SBP vice chairman Robbie Puno, PBA chairman Robert Non and PBA board members Patrick Gregorio, Ramoncito Fernandez, Alfrancis Chua, Rene Pardo and Silliman Sy.