Parks wants to play for Gilas in near future

MANILA, Philippines -- Texas Legends' Fil-Am guard Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. would love to play for Gilas Pilipinas in the near future. 

In a conference call with the Filipino reporters on Wednesday, Parks reiterated his desire to represent the country in FIBA-sanctioned tournaments.

"If I had the privilege of doing that, then I would love to. I mean I’m not only representing the country by just playing with Gilas ball but also wherever I go, I always have the Philippines on my back." said Parks, who skipped this year's Southeast Asian Games to pursue his NBA dream. 

Earlier this year, Los Angeles Lakers' Fil-Am guard Jordan Clarkson mentioned Parks and UCLA-bound Kobe Paras as his future teammates at Gilas if he gets clearance from FIBA to play as a local.  The three playing together for Gilas won't happen anytime soon given their commitments in the US but they are expected to lead the national team in the FIBA World Cup in 2019. 

Parks played for Sinag Pilipinas,the cadet national team, that won the 2015 SEABA tournament where he ended up as the tournament's leading scorer with 16.3 per game before flying to the US. 

Parks, who was selected 25th overall by the Legends in the recent NBA D-League Draft, is working his way up the rotation of former player-turned-coach Nick Van Exel.  

Despite his limited playing time in the Legends' first four games including a DNP (Did not play) status in their 106-82 win against Oklahoma City Blue, he remains positive and acknowledged that everything is part of the process especially for him, who is one of the youngest player in the team and a talent outside the US. 

"Everybody’s really competitive whether it may be just from running, sprints, or to playing up and down. It’s very physical and intense. The practices really go for a long time but at the same time, each minute we are competing," Parks said. 

"The developmental league is part of the NBA and it’s a process of really trying to hone your skills so all those come into play. But at the same time, it’s great experiencing it right now before stepping into that pedestal—the NBA," he added. 

Parks believes that the new Gilas team has a fighting chance against some of the world's best in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament next year. 

"Well, I really can’t say that right now cause with that timeline they can really grow more as a team. I believe that as long as they play with “PUSO”, they have a chance to defeat those teams by just giving it our all," Parks said. 

The Fil-Am lefty guard and the Legends will host the Oklahoma City Blue this coming weekend before another back-to-back home games against the Sta. Cruz Warriors next week.