GILAS Pilipinas unveils its youngest and tallest roster yet as it opens the third window of the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers against rival Korea Wednesday at AUF Gym in Clark.
Kai Sotto and naturalized center Ange Kouame spearhead the cavalry as Carl Tamayo, SJ Belangel, and RJ Abarrientos also make their seniors team debut.
Tip-off is at 6 p.m.
It's a tall task for the boys of coach Tab Baldwin as Gilas seeks to formally clinch a spot in the continental tilt set in August, and also preserve its immaculate 6-0 record at home against the Koreans.
It will be a gauge on how far this group has developed after months of training at Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba.
Dwight Ramos, Justine Baltazar, and Isaac Go hope to make things happen and show that this youthful pool is ready for primetime as the Filipinos fight to stay unbeaten from their current 3-0 card.
The average height for the team is at 6-foot-6, with the shortest being Belangel at 5-foot-10. It's average age is just 22.4 years, with Go being the oldest at 25.
Completing the team are Javi Gomez de Liano, Mike Nieto, and Jaydee Tungcab.
But equally hungry is the Korea team, with naturalized player Ra Gun-A, born Ricardo Ratliffe, leading the charge for this young side which carries a 2-0 record in Group A.
Lee Hyun-jung and Yeo Jun-seok are also debuting for the Korean squad featuring stars from the Korean Basketball League (KBL).
The Philippines and Korea are looking to finish in the top two of the group, which would give them outright berths to the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup in Indonesia.
China and Japan raise the curtain at 2 p.m. in Group B action, with the Chinese leaning on CBA MVP Wu Qian and the Akatsuki Five banking on the debuting naturalized player Gavin Edwards and B.League MVP Kosuke Kanamaru.
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