FOUR years after and Justin Arana is now just a heartbeat away from having a first ever crack of playing for Gilas Pilipinas.
The Converge big man is part of both the national team pool for the coming FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers and the 20th Asian Games in what has been the culmination of a long wait to finally become a Gilas member.
The 6-foot-7 Arana was first commissioned as part of the Gilas Pilipinas pool under then coach Chot Reyes upon being picked as the no. 4 overall selection in the 2022 PBA draft by Converge.
READ: Gilas Pilipinas going all-Filipino in coming FIBA WC Qualifiers
Fellow draftees Gian Mamuyac and Shaun Ildefonso – then with Rain or Shine – and Javi Gomez De Liano (formerly with Terrafirma) were among those also named as part of the compact pool.
But it is only now that the 27-year-old native of Daet, Camarines Norte is getting his hands playing as part of the national team pool of coach Tim Cone.
Arana is part of the trimmed 14-man pool for this weekend’s window, and vows to give his best should he be named as part of Cone’s final 12-man roster.
“Nabigyan ako ng opportunity, iga-grab ko yun talaga. Hindi ko sasayangin yung opportunity na makasali dito,” Arana told reporters during the Gilas Pilipinas presser on Monday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Arana’s inclusion is seen as part of the national team’s transition at the frontcourt with the imminent retirement of old hand June Mar Fajardo in the Gilas program.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the center out of University Santo Tomas and Arellano U is already a shoo-in for the spot.
Gilas has a stacked roster in the middle boosted by the return of 7-foot-3 Kai Sotto in the pool following a two-year absence.
Then there’s also shot blocker AJ Edu, veteran Troy Rosario, and Arana’s fellow Converge big Justin Baltazar.
But Arana said he’s ready to do whatever role he will be asked for by Cone and his coaching staff if ever he makes it to the final roster.
“Kung ano yung role ko sa team, ibibigay ko ng 200 percent,” he stressed.
Although relatively new to the Gilas program, Arana said he’s slowly getting a hang of it especially with the support of the regular mainstays.
“Kailangan araw-araw matutunan yung system, yung program,” he said. “One day at a time lang talaga kasi hindi ko naman makukuha yung system sa isang araw lang. Tinutulungan naman nila (veterans) ako, and that’s a good experience for me.”
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