Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone expressed his gratitude to the contributions of RJ Abarrientos and Troy Rosario to their preparations for the 33rd FIBA Asia Cup that is set to start on Tuesday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Cone said both Abarrientos and Rosario were really helpful as they served as practice players, especially when players like June Mar Fajardo, Calvin Oftana and CJ Perez were still unavailable during the finals of the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup.

Together with Zav Lucero and Rhenz Abando, Abarrientos and Rosario were included in the long list that was submitted to the Asia Cup organizers after Fajardo and Oftana suffered various injuries in their quest for an all-Filipino title.

Both Abarrientos and Rosario were also in the roster when Gilas battled the Macau Black Bears in a pre-departure friendly match at the Araneta Coliseum last Sunday.

But with Oftana recovering from an ankle injury and Fajardo slowly getting back to game shape, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas decided to leave Abarrientos and Rosario when Gilas left for the Middle East late Wednesday.

Cone said he appreciates the kind gesture and professionalism of Abarrientos and Rosario, who are both his players at Barangay Ginebra.

“They have been with us from the first moment that we started practicing, and I don’t know how we could have gone through this whole last two weeks without them because we were practicing with seven to eight guys through most of the week,” Cone said.

“Without Troy and RJ, we would have been down to six or five. So they were really, really crucial to our preparations.”

Cone added the inclusion of Abarrientos and Rosario to the Gilas roster could have been perfect if ever Oftana and Fajardo didn’t get cleared ahead of the continental wars.

Aside from knowing Cone’s system like the back of their hands, both Abarrientos and Rosario had the same skillset as Oftana and Fajardo, like scoring, playmaking, defense and rebounding.

“We got Troy and RJ sitting on the wings if necessary,” Cone said.

“They were locked in on what we do.”