ARVIN Tolentino is ready and just waiting in the wings if ever Gilas Pilipinas needs an extra warm body while training for the coming FIBA World Cup.
Will Arvin Tolentino get call-up?
“Naghihintay rin lang naman ako. Kung ipatawag, I’ll be there. Kung hindi, it’s fine,” he said about the prospect of rejoining the same men’s team which he helped regain the cage gold in the last Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.
With injuries hobbling the Gilas training pool one after the other, Tolentino’s name has been one of those consistently being mentioned as possible additional call-ups for the national team.
Tolentino played a major role in Gilas winning back the gold during the 32nd edition of the SEA Games that saw the Filipinos dethrone Indonesia in the semis, and then demolished the naturalized player-laden team of Cambodia in the finals.
Just last week during the PBA On Tour, Tolentino erupted for a career-high 41 points in a 105-86 rout of Phoenix. He went 7-of-11 from three-point range which made all the more clamor for him to be included in the Gilas pool even at the last minute.
So far, no one from the national team has gotten in touch with the Northport forward, which is just fine with him.
“I’m sure those players (in the the pool) are giving their best naman for the country,” said Tolentino, who finished with 20 points and six rebounds in Northport’s 118-112 loss to Rain or Shine Wednesday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
No matter, according to Tolentino, his whole-hearted support to the World Cup campaign of Gilas will always be there.
“Like I said before, I’m still in full support of them, matawag man o hindi,” he said. “Pilipino tayong lahat kaya suporta tayo sa kanila, manalo man o matalo.”
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