Junemar leads Gilas Fiba Asia aspirants

MANILA, Philippines - PBA MVP Junemar Fajardo will head the 25-man Gilas Pilipinas national pool gearing up for the FIBA Asia Men’s Championship set in China later this year with national coach Tab Baldwin singling out the San Miguel behemoth from the list.

Baldwin disclosed he’s looking at around that number from which the latest batch of Gilas will be culled as he lays down the foundation in the country’s serious quest to earn the lone Asian berth for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Jainero.   

Baldwin, however, has opted not to disclose the names of the players although there’s one particular name, which he said could not simply be ignored.

“From what I’ve seeing, from the names I’ve got down now, it’s looking at around 25. It’s something like that,” said Baldwin in his first Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum appearance at Shakey’s Malate yesterday.  

“But I’d say that the only player right now that cannot be excluded given the demographic of the sport of basketball is June Mar Fajardo,” he added, referring to the 6-foot-11 San Miguel center who was part of Gilas Pilipinas under former coach Chot Reyes.

Out of the 25, the list will be trimmed to 16 from which the final 12 bound for the Olympic qualifier are going to be chosen.

“Having a group of around 16 would be ideal,” the Gilas coach added. “I would say within four or five days we’ll be able to make the first cut down to 16, and then we won’t cut down that 16 to the last 12 until we have to, until the last day whatever the deadline is.”

As to what kind of players he’s looking for to be included in the team, Baldwin, 56, said chemistry to work together, talent, efficiency, and competitiveness are some of the factors to be considered by the coaching staff.

“I intend to select the best team, not necessarily the best players,” he stressed in the same session presented by San Miguel Corp., Accel, Shakey’s, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) deputy executive director for international affairs Butch Antonio said no concrete plans and programs have been lined up for Gilas Pilipinas not until Baldwin has come up with the names of the 16 players to be included in the pool.

“Until we identified who these players are and put this team together, then that’s the only time we can only make plans and how we can make schedule from the time the PBA season ends and from the time the Fiba Asia begins,” he said.

Baldwin has been regularly attending games of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup in an attempt to familiarize himself more about the players likely to be invited for the national team.

At the same time, the Gilas mentor has also started conducting tryouts for the Sinag Pilipinas team set to see action in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) Championship and the Southeast Asian Games in Singapore this June.

The four-day tryouts began Monday night at the Philsports Arena and attended by top players from both the D-League and the collegiate leagues.

Like Gilas Pilipinas, 25 amateur players were also invited by the SBP for the tryout which would later be pruned down to 16 by weekend.

The final 12 who will make it comprise the national team bound for the SEABA on April 27 to May 1 and the SEA Games on June 6 to 15.

The SEABA serves as the qualifier to the FIBA-Asia Men’s Championship.