Troy Rosario cherishes the opportunity of finally earning a spot in Gilas Pilipinas’ official competition roster.

Twice relegated as a practice player and pool reserve, the Barangay Ginebra star joined teammates naturalized player Justin Brownlee and RJ Abarrientos in the 12-man lineup of head coach Tim Cone for next month’s third window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier.

Rosario will be on the road with Gilas in its bid to end a two-game slide against New Zealand on 3 July in Auckland before flying to Perth to face Australia three days after.

The call-up was a huge development for the National University product after missing the cut in the Gilas roster in the first two windows.

“I was part of Gilas in the last two windows as a practice player. To be called up for the Final 12, is a huge honor. It just shows that all my hard work bore fruit,” the 34-year-old forward said.

Rosario’s presence gives Gilas added ceiling in facing the Tall Blacks and the Boomerangs especially in the absence of 7-foot-7 Kai Sotto and 6-foot-11 Quentin Millora-Brown.

The 6-foot-7 Kings frontliner made huge contributions as starting center in Ginebra’s title conquest over TNT in the recently concluded Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup.

His numbers and the intangibles he brought to the table for the Cone-mentored Kings in the grueling seven-game series built a strong case to be included in the lineup.

Rosario will play in his first FIBA-sanctioned tournament.

He, however, is no stranger to international competitions, being a member of the national team that won three gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games, two in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association Championship and one in the SEABA Cup.

“Hopefully, donning the Gilas Pilipinas jersey we’ll be able to win games in this window,” he said.

Gilas flew to Brisbane, Australia last Tuesday for a training camp before transferring to New Zealand for a couple of tune-up matches against local clubs.

The Filipinos are coming off a 66-69 loss to the Kiwis and a 66-93 rout at the hands of the Aussies at the Mall of Asia Arena five months ago.

Gilas left the country early to acclimatize to the cold weather in New Zealand, build chemistry and work on its game plan.

It also meant that Rosario and his Ginebra teammates had no time to celebrate the franchise’s 16th overall title.

But he’s not complaining.

“I’m just about to enjoy the Ginebra championship but there’s the call (for the national team). So, I had to postpone the celebration to focus on our preparation for the upcoming window,” he said.

Gilas and New Zealand are tied with 2-2 win-loss slates in Group A, led by unbeaten Australia (4-0).