Troy gets Doha ‘tryout’

Recent Gilas addition Troy Rosario has three games in Qatar to convince head coach Tim Cone to include his name in the team’s final roster for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifier final window.

The Barangay Ginebra forward will join Gilas in a short training camp in Doha where they will participate in a four-nation pocket tournament in preparation for their road games against Chinese Taipei and New Zealand three weeks from now.

Tapped in the mix following the unfortunate knee injury suffered by starting center Kai Sotto, the 33-year-old cager will serve as one of Gilas’ alternates for the 2nd Doha Invitational Cup running from 14 to 16 February. Mason Amos is the other reserve player.

“He’s (Rosario) basically taken Japeth’s (Aguilar) place in the alternate,” Cone said.

Aguilar opted to skip the Doha trip to “deal with a family issue,” according to the decorated tactician.

The Filipinos will leave for Doha on 13 February.

Rosario, whose last stint for the tricolor was back in 2021 in the ill-fated national team that finished runner-up in the pandemic-delayed Hanoi Southeast Asian Games, will have an opportunity to showcase what he could bring to the table, especially with Cone planning to load manage his main guns’ minutes.

Gilas will take on the host team, Egypt and Lebanon in the friendlies.

“We’ve added Troy. Right now, while we’re going to Doha, he is an alternate,” Cone said.

“But we’ll decide before we go to Taiwan whether he will be on the actual 12 or still continue to be an alternate.”

Cone earlier announced that the likes of returning big man AJ Edu and athletic forward Jamie Malonzo will get limited minutes after coming off injuries as well as naturalized player Justin Brownlee to preserve them for the third window.

This could be the opening for Rosario to get the coveted slot in the Final 12.