JUSTIN Arana appears set to take the spot of Carl Tamayo for Gilas Pilipinas’ game against Iran on Sunday in the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
The name and picture of the Converge big man is in the Philippine team’s page of the official FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers website.
The SBP later confirmed Arana's inclusion to the final 12 on its Facebook page.
Tamayo suffered a sprain in his left ankle with 7:58 left in the third quarter of Gilas Pilipinas’ 82-81 overtime win over Jordan.
READ: Tim Cone says Jordan win is 'halftime' as Gilas gears up for Iran
Tamayo did not return and finished with eight points in 14 minutes.
Arana is in line to make his Gilas Pilipinas debut on Sunday after being included in the final 12 and after getting an invitation to join the team’s camp not just for the World Cup qualifiers but also for the Asian Games.
With Arana in the final 12, he joins his Converge teammates Juan Gomez de Liano and Justine Baltazar at Gilas Pilipinas for the game against Iran where the home side looks to improve on its 3-4 win-loss record.
Completing the final 12 are Kai Sotto, Cjay Perez, Kevin Quiambao, Dwight Ramos, Scottie Thompson, AJ Edu, Chris Newsome, June Mar Fajardo, and Troy Rosario.
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