MANILA, Philippines — Twin towers Kai Sotto and Angelo Kouame and big guard Dwight Ramos headline the gutsy Gilas Pilipinas dozen going to battle with heavyweights Serbia and the Dominican Republic in next week’s FIBA Olympic Qualification Tournament (OQT) in Belgrade.
The 7-foot-3 Sotto and the 6-foot-10 Kouame lead what could be the tallest Gilas frontline in years in tandem with Geo Chiu (6’8), Justine Baltazar (6’8), Isaac Go (6’7), Carl Tamayo (6’7), Will Navarro (6’6), and Mike Nieto (6’2).
The 6-foot-4 Ramos, the most consistent among the young guns with his 13.8-point, 6.2-rebound, 2.2-assist and 2-steal averages in the Asia Cup Qualifiers, spearheads the backcourt with Jordan Heading (6’2), RJ Abarrientos (5’11) and SJ Belangel (5’10).
Three mainstays of the youth-laden crew that went 3-for-3 in the Clark meet – Jaydee Tungcab, Javi Gomez de Liaño and 18-year-old Lebron Lopez – were cut before the Gilas delegation left for Serbia yesterday.
“After careful deliberation done by the coaching staff, they have decided to go for a taller line-up with emphasis on frontline height and length to compete against bigger teams outside of Asia,” Ryan Gregorio, special assistant to Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio, said.
Meanwhile, SBP drew praises from FIBA Asia for its “excellent effort” in hosting the continental qualifier window 3.
“Having organized such an impressive event, especially during these challenging times, involves enormous amounts of time and energy which contributed substantially to its success,” said FIBA Asia executive director Hagop Khajirian.