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    Chot names two Gilas 23 for '23 omissions who he now feels deserve spots

    Two years later, Chot Reyes revisits 23 for '23 pool. Here's what he feels
    Aug 16, 2020

    JANUARY 3, 2018. That was the day Chot Reyes unveiled his pool of 23 young, talented players who he and the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas (SBP) envisioned would form the core of the Gilas Pilipinas side that will fly the flag before home fans come the 2023 Fiba World Cup.

    The list was made up of a diverse group of players at different stages of their young careers who shone either here or abroad. The candidates were grouped based on the position they play, but common denominator was talent - there was aplenty.

    The pool had prodigies like Kai Sotto and Carl Tamayo and US-based standouts like Fil-Am Remy Martin and Fil-Nigerian AJ Edu; established college stars Robert Bolick and CJ Perez as well as up-and-coming young guns Juan Gomez de Liano and Thirdy Ravena.

    Here's the full list:

    The pool, however, was considered disbanded soon after - just one of the wholesale changes that took place amid a reboot of the SBP's national team program following the infamous July 2018 brawl between Gilas and Australia.

    Over two years later, we asked Reyes to revisit a list aptly named '23 for '23' pool and the longtime national coach said he was 'very happy' with the names he put together, although he agreed that changes could be made based on hindsight.

    "They say hindsight is 20/20, so yes, if we make a list now, there would be changes," said Reyes, "but having said that, we were very happy w the list we made then. Even if we knew we had left out some very good names."

    Asked, again with the aid of hindsight, on which players he now feels should be on the list, the five-time PBA Coach of the Year pointed to La Salle slotman Justine Baltazar and Dave Ildefonso, the former National University guard who has since returned to Ateneo.

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    "Among the names we left out who could easily make it now are Baltazar and Ildefonso," admitted Reyes.

    Baltazar's omission is glaring, considering Gilas had tapped lesser-known big men for that pool in Letran's Jeo Ambohot, Mapua's Will Gozum, NU's Troy Rike, and San Beda's Kenmark Carino.

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    However, it should be recalled that La Salle - then a team on transition under Louie Gonzales - made a 'request' that its players not be included in the pool. That also explains why Ricci Rivero, then still a Green Archer, as well as Andre Caracut and Aljun Melecio weren't on the list.

    LOOK:
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    As for Ildefonso, one of the two playing sons of two-time PBA MVP Danny I has established himself over the past two years as a solid, well-rounded big guard who can be a key asset to any team he plays for.

    Reyes said he and his coaching staff then also took a serious look at youngsters like Ateneo's LeBron Lopez and Dalph Panopio, Far Eastern University guard RJ Abarrientos, and La Salle Zobel's Raven Cortez and thought about including some or all of them in the pool for the 2023 Fiba World Cup.

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    "We thought about Panopio, Abarrientos, Raven Cortez, Lebron Lopez and others but felt they were still too young," Reyes said. "Again, Im sure there are others who are deserving, that’s why we said guys can play their way in and play their way out of the list."

    That decision, however, is no longer for Reyes to make. His former consultant at Gilas, Tab Baldwin, is now the program director of the SBP and he is in the process of putting together his own pool for 2023.

    But no doubt, a lot of the players on '23 for '23' are bound to be in that pool, too.

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