NATIONAL head coach Yeng Guiao explained the reason behind the non-inclusion of Terrence Romeo in the Team Pilipinas pool, citing the enormous number of talented guards available at his disposal.
Romeo was noticeably left out of the 20-man pool along with naturalized player Andray Blatche for the next window of the Fiba World Cup qualifiers where the national team will play Kazakhstan on November 30 and Iran on December 3.
The TNT star guard was not called up even though he is already eligible for the Iran game at the end of his three-game suspension for his involvement in the brawl between Gilas and Australia last July 2.
Eventually, Guiao chose naturalized player Stanley Pringle, Paul Lee, Alex Cabagnot, Marcio Lassiter, Jayson Castro, and LA Tenorio to form the backcourt pool.
“There is just too much talent in this team especially in the guard position,” said Guiao.
When he made the final selection, Guiao said he decided to reward the players who have previously played in the fifth window of the Fiba Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers and the Asian Games this year.
“Consensus din from the coaching staff and we also sought the approval of the SBP and the PBA and they supported the decision,” said Guiao.
Guiao, however, made it clear that like Blatche, Romeo will still be considered in the next windows.
“Terrence is also going to be considered just like Blatche in the next window,” said Guiao. “But we would like to again reward the guys who have already played in the fourth window and the guys who played in the Asian Games."
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