A 24-man Gilas Pilipinas pool that includes the best Filipino players based both locally and overseas was released by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas for the sixth window of the Fiba Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers.
Naturalized players Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame headline the list of names that includes players from the PBA, UAAP, Japan B-League and the Australian NBL where 7-foot-3 center Kai Sotto is based.
READ: No Brownlee misgivings as Clarkson back-up at Gilas, says Cone
New names in the pool include Schonny Winston from La Salle, Jerom Lastimosa of Adamson, and Mason Amos, a prodigious Fil-Aussie prospect who has committed to play for the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP.
The SBP call-ups also mark the return of Jordan Heading and Arvin Tolentino to the national team set-up. Heading was a mainstay in the Gilas pool before taking his act to Taiwan and later the Japan B.League.
Aside from Heading, other Japan-based players who were called up to the February pool are Dwight Ramos, Ray Parks, brothers Kiefer and Thirdy Ravena, and new Japan B.League signee Carl Tamayo.
From the PBA, those called up were Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo, and Japeth Aguilar of Barangay Ginebra, CJ Perez and June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel, RR Pogoy and CJ Oftana of TNT, Raymond Almazan and Chris Newsome of Meralco, and NorthPort forward Arvin Tolentino.
College standouts Kevin Quiambao, and Francis Lopez round out the members of the pool that will start preparations for Window Six on Monday for a pair of home games to be played at the Philippine Arena.
After sweeping in the previous window, the nationals coached by Chot Reyes plunge back into action on February 24 against Lebanon - the same squad that beat them in Beirut last August even with Jordan Clarkson as naturalized player.
They cap the qualifiers on February 27 against Jordan, a team they beat last November in Amman.
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