World Cup stint excites Malonzo

Jamie Malonzo is thrilled to be part of the Gilas Pilipinas team that will see action in the FIBA Basketball World Cup that the country will host from 25 August to 10 September.

In a conversation with Daily Tribune, the high-flying Barangay Ginebra swingman said he is excited to play for the country when the prestigious 32-nation conclave unfolds at the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

"I'm super excited. Just to be part of something so meaningful for the country, it's going to be pretty historic because we're the ones hosting," Malonzo said.

"It's definitely exciting and I'm pretty sure almost everyone wants to be a part of this. I'm blessed to be able to say that I'm in this pool, working toward something like that. This is something I really wanted to achieve, I definitely want to be a part of it."

Malonzo is part of the 12-man team that will vie in the 2023 Heyuan WUS International Basketball Tournament in China starting Wednesday.

Joining Malonzo who boarded a flight to Guangdong Province at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 were Calvin Oftana, Roger Pogoy, June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez, Japeth Aguilar, Dwight Ramos, Ray Parks, Kiefer and Thirdy Ravena, AJ Edu and Rhenz Abando.

Injured players Justin Brownlee, Kai Sotto and Scottie Thompson were not able to make the trip.

Brownlee, one of the three Gilas naturalized players, is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday to remove bone spurs on his foot.

His fellow naturalized player, Ange Kouame, on the other hand, has been loaned by Gilas to Rain or Shine, which will represent the Philippine Basketball Association in the William Jones Cup.

National Basketball Association star Jordan Clarkson, meanwhile, is set to rejoin Gilas as soon as he returns to Manila, a latest development that might have an effect in their preparation for the World Cup.

Malonzo said he is hoping that they could achieve their goal as a team in the China friendlies.

"We're progressing really well, to be honest. I think the more time we spend with each other, the better we're gonna be," Malonzo said.

"Hopefully, after this China trip, we can walk away from this and be able to say that we're almost at that point where we want to be. Right now, we're really good."