THERE is not an ounce of ill will from Ange Kouame upon seeing Gilas Pilipinas thrive with Justin Brownlee at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games.
The naturalized player out of Ateneo has fallen off the radar of the national team as NBA player Jordan Clarkson and Brownlee took turns on the Gilas role under new coach Chot Reyes.
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Kouame, however, has a pretty good grasp of the situation.
“Honestly, I understand that it’s part of the business,” the 6-foot-10 Ivorian national told SPIN.ph. “Things change, situation happens, but I’ll have to stick to the job because this is what I’m playing for.”
Kouame's future with the national team has become uncertain since his coach at Ateneo, Tab Baldwin, was replaced by Reyes. It didn't help that the naturalized player has been set back by a knee injury.
But Kouame assured he's ready to answer a Gilas call-up.
“One hundred percent, I’m saying yes because at the end of the day, I’m still Filipino," he said. “I just gotta go with the flow, and whatever opportunity comes up, I just have to be ready."
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