RHENZ Abando suits up for his first Fiba Asia Cup stint with Gilas Pilipinas after being given the green light to play in the quadrennial showpiece that kicks off on Tuesday in Jakarta.
“Yes, (he was) approved,” said Gilas team manager and Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) deputy secretary general Butch Antonio.
See SBP hails PH 3x3's progress after Gilas' fourth-place finish
Abando’s approval as late replacement to the injured Dwight Ramos was made during the technical committee meeting on Monday night in a piece of good news that welcomed the arrival of coach Chot Reyes and big man Poy Erram in the Indonesian capital.
The entry of the reigning NCAA Rookie-MVP gives the national team the benefit of playing with a complete 12-man lineup for the July 12 to 24 tournament.
JP Erram, Ray Parks and Thirdy Ravena were added to the team before Dwight Ramos was ruled out.
Also in the team are Thirdy and Kiefer Ravena, RayRay Parks, Carl Tamayo, Will Navarro, LeBron Lopez, SJ Belangel, RJ Abarrientos, Geo Chiu, and Kevin Quiambao.
Reyes said even with Ramos healthy and ready to play, the Gilas plan was still to bring Abando along with the team to Indonesia.
The Filipinos play their first game on Wednesday against Lebanon at Istora Gelora Bung Karno, followed by India on Friday, and New Zealand on Sunday, hoping to finish in the top 2 of Group D to advance in the quarterfinals.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
