Gilas facing training woes

With TNT Tropang 5G giving Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser the green light to join, Gilas Pilipinas finally completed its roster for the men’s basketball event of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.

But the problem is far from over.

Gilas coach Norman Black admitted that getting the players to train as a team is easier said than done, especially since they’re coming from various commitments from their respective teams.

Dave Ildefonso and Jason Brickman, for example, remain uncertain as Abra Solid North Weavers are tipped to make a solid run in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).

The MPBL finals are set early December, just a few days before the opening of the basketball events of the biennial meet on 13 December.

On the other hand, the elimination round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) is set to end on 23 November while the finals are expected to wrap on 9 December.

With that, the availability of Kymani Ladi of Ateneo de Manila University and Mike Phillips of De La Salle University for training hangs in the balance and would depend on how far their respective teams will go.

“My biggest concern now is preparation, getting everyone together for practice,” said Black following Meralco’s 85-89 loss to NLEX in the Philippine Cup of the Philippine Basketball Association Season 50 on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

“It’s not going to be easy at this point in the schedule, but I’m confident that as we get closer to the tournament, we’ll be able to hold enough practices to be ready. I estimate we’ll get about 23 days of practice in total. Some days will be twice-a-day sessions, some at Inspire, where we can have the entire team together to build chemistry as quickly as possible.”

Aside from the MPBL boys and UAAP players, Ray Parks is also not expected to be around early after his B.League team, Osaka Evessa, allowed him to leave on 9 December.

“We still have players who might join late because of other commitments,” the multi-titled mentor said.

“For instance, Dave Ildefonso and Brickman are playing for Abra in the MPBL, and depending on how long their league goes, they could be late arrivals. Hopefully, they can still catch a few practices and join five-on-five sessions.”

“Ray Parks will also arrive around 9 December since he still has games in Japan. I’m also not sure when the UAAP will finish — when Ateneo or La Salle might either win the championship or get eliminated — but we’ll do our best to get everyone together and form a competitive team for the SEA Games.”