‘Stricter’ player eligibility rules loom for Gilas in SEA Games bid

MANILA, Philippines — The Gilas Pilipinas squad that will be defending the Southeast Asian Games gold medal could be vastly different from the team that won it back in 2023. 

This year’s SEA Games, to be held in Thailand, will be adhering to the FIBA eligibility rules, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) said on Friday. 

SBP executive director Erika Dy, in an interview with reporters at the sidelines of the 2025 SBP National Congress, said that they received a circular last week from the host, which said that they will be “strict on FIBA rules”. 

“So, this means unlike in past where we can have Ange Kouame and Justin Brownlee being on the same team, that's no longer going to happen. Unless we get Ange to be a local somehow. But I think it's going to be tough for people to even consider that,” Dy told reporters.

Brownlee and Kouame were part of the Gilas team that won the gold medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games. 

In the 2021 SEA Games, Brownlee was in the team as well as Christian Standhardinger, who is also considered as a naturalized player by FIBA. 

For now, the composition of the team’s roster is still unsure but they will discuss it. 

“At this point in time, I would say yes [it will be different.] But, again, there's no solid plan. So, things can change. It can change for the better. It can change for the worse. We don't know yet,” Dy said. 

“But, the plan we have at this moment, which I don't want to reveal yet because we haven't really solidified yet, is that [the roster] won't be the same. We also want to give a chance for the next generation to be able to compete in the international league,” she added. 

Aside from Standhardinger and Brownlee, the Gilas team that competed in the SEA Games were composed of PBA players Marcio Lassiter, Jerom Lastimosa, Calvin Oftana, CJ Perez, Chris Ross, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, Chris Newsome and Arvin Tolentino, as well as collegiate stars Mason Amos and Mike Phillips. 

“We have been discussing it a lot. We have no concrete plans yet, there's a lot of suggestions. Kailangang pag-aralan talaga naman kung ano yung best way to form a more formidable team for the SEA Games.” 

Dy also stressed that there could be conflicts with local tournaments, like the collegiate leagues, since this year’s Games will be held in December. 

“Yes, that's another challenge for us. Because in the past, UAAP would start in July. And then in September, we would have the best players from the UAAP and the NCAA playing in the SEA Games. But, that is a challenge now, because both leagues end in December,” the official said. 

Overseas Filipino imports, who are playing in Japan and Korea, may also be affected by scheduling conflicts as the SEA Games is not part of the FIBA calendar. 

“For the players, there is naman commitment. But of course, it will depend on their ballclubs, because we cannot control naman yung kanilang contracts.” 

The Philippines will try to win its 20th SEA Games gold medal this year.