A smaller Gilas Pilipinas squad buckled down to work Monday night to intensify its preparation for the sixth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
With their big men not available, Gilas hinted at the possibility of turning their battles against Lebanon on Friday and Jordan on Monday into a marathon with their fortune resting on their deadly gunners and wily playmakers.
The interior of Gilas Pilipinas, in fact, was so depleted that it was forced to bring in former Villanova star Daniel Ochefu to participate in its training by simulating the Lebanese and Jordanian slotmen.
The 6-foot-11 Ochefu, who won a US National Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball title with the Wildcats in 2018, is in town to join TNT Tropang Giga in the East Asia Super League Champions Week from 1 to 15 March in Japan.
He joined Gilas training as big men like Japeth Aguilar, Kai Sotto, Raymond Almazan, Carl Tamayo and Poy Erram will not be available for the final window of the qualifiers,
The 7-foot-2 Sotto opted out last week to focus on his stint with the Hiroshima Dragonflies in the Japan B. League while Almazan is also likely not going to see action due to his commitment with Meralco in the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association Governors' Cup.
Aguilar and Erram, for their part, are still injured while Tamayo will also be sidelined as he just signed a fresh pact with the Ryukyu Golden Kings in Japan.
With that, six-time PBA Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo will be the legitimate post presence for Gilas while young guns like Mason Amos of Ateneo de Manila University and Kevin Quiambao of De La Salle University could get handsome chances of cracking the final roster.
Gilas coach Chot Reyes said their lack of big men could affect the composition of the team.
"Right now, we opted to rest Kelly (Williams) because the last three games had too much on his body and Raymond can't play because Meralco is playing on the 23rd and 26th. With that, Mason is really looking like having a real shot out there," Reyes told Daily Tribune following the workout that also included PBA standouts Calvin Oftana, Arvin Tolentino, and Jamie Malonzo.
"Again, we don't want to preempt the coaching staff which is going to make a collective decision by the deadline of 12 noon on Thursday, so we'll see what happens."
"My experience in these things is that anything can happen. Someone can fall sick, someone can turn or sprain an ankle, so we'll never know. That's why we're telling everyone to be ready."
Without the big men, Reyes has no choice but to bank on abroad-based gunners like Dwight Ramos, Kiefer and Thirdy Ravena and Jordan Heading, forming a team that could attack aggressively using a run-and-gun approach from start to finish.
Heading, in particular, is returning to the national team program after burying the hatchet with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.
Reyes admitted that he was elated top have Heading back, saying his looming tandem with former De La Salle University star Schonny Winston will be crucial in their small-ball attack.
"We've been very impressed at how Jordan has been playing. Not only him, but even Schonny Winston has been performing very well," said Reyes, who is expected to include Heading in the final roster after veteran RR Pogoy crashed with an ankle injury.
"In terms of our depth chart, after Roger in that spot, those players who are really there and we have to make a final decision on who is going to make the final 12."
"But like I've said, part of the commitment with the players is to be part of the pool without any assurance of who's going to make the final 12."