JAYDEE Tungcab has been dropped from the Gilas Pilipinas pool and will not make the trip to Serbia for the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) special assistant to the president Ryan Gregorio confirmed the most recent cut, explaining that Gilas' need to go big for games against Serbia and the Dominican Republic led to the decision.
"After the careful deliberation done by the coaching staff, they have decided to go for a taller lineup with emphasis on frontline height and length to compete against bigger teams outside of Asia," the former PBA Coach of the Year awardee said.
"It is a function of the scouting report. With Dominican Republic and Serbia expected to utilize tall players, our coaches believe that it is a great opportunity for our big men to get valuable experience competing against quality big men from Europe."
The 6-foot-2 guard from University of the Philippines no longer saw action in the 79-all draw in the exhibition game between the Philippines and China on Wednesday.
Tungcab played four minutes in the first game against Korea, going scoreless but dishing one assist and playing solid defense in the backcourt in Gilas' 81-78 win last Wednesday.
Despite this cut, Gregorio reiterated that Tungcab remains a part of the Gilas Pilipinas pool moving forward.
With Tungcab out, that leaves Gilas with 13 players for the Belgrade OQT.
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