Injured Thompson aims to stay in Gilas

Scottie Thompson may be down with an injured finger but it doesn't mean that he will easily give up his spot in the Gilas Pilipinas pool for the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

No less than Philippine Basketball Association commissioner Willie Marcial told Daily Tribune that the 29-year-old swingman is determined to keep his spot in a bid to play in the World Cup in front of the local crowd from 25 August to 10 September.

Thompson suffered a fractured metacarpal during their training in Lithuania last week.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas has yet to announce the result of the magnetic resonance imaging test but the same injury had sidelined Calvin Oftana for six to eight weeks while he was still playing for NLEX last year.

Marcial said Thompson is really determined to fight for his spot.

"He wants to continue to go on," Marcial said during Tribune's 23rd anniversary celebration late Tuesday in Taguig City.

"We don't know the extent of the injury but he wants to continue despite the pain in his finger."

Health has been a major concern for Gilas Pilipinas.

Aside from Thompson, also injured are Dwight Ramos and AJ Edu.

Ramos is dealing with a knee injury while Edu has yet to fully recover from the ankle sprain that he sustained while training in Brisbane before joining the Gilas camp in Laguna.

Health was also the main reason why Carl Tamayo withdrew from the pool and stalwarts Ray Parks, Jordan Heading, Roger Pogoy and Oftana didn't join the Gilas buildup in Estonia and Lithuania.

SBP president Al Panlilio already met with Reyes and assistant coaches Jong Uichico and Tim Cone to plot their next move following the PBA's offer of boosting the Gilas pool with additional players heading into the final stretch of their preparation.