TIM Cone has now made it official.
Troy Rosario is officially part of the Gilas Pilipinas pool, and he’ll join the squad for its upcoming camp in Doha, Qatar as they wrap up their Asia Cup Qualifiers against Chinese Taipei and New Zealand on February 20 and February 23 respectively.
In a text message to reporters, Cone confirmed SPIN.ph’s earlier report that the versatile 6’7 forward is returning to the national team for the first time since the 2021 Southeast Asian Games.
READ: Troy Rosario set for Gilas call-up with Kai, KQ out injured
“Troy will join us for the Doha trip,” Cone said.
This comes after Gilas suffered big blows at the turn of the year as Kai Sotto's ACL injury was confirmed before Kevin Quiambao injured his ankle in his Korean Basketball League debut.
Rosario will be the perfect pinchhitter for Sotto and Quiambao, with his size and versatility giving Gilas options on the frontline.
He also won't need to be taught Cone's system as he's currently thriving at Barangay Ginebra as the team's starting forward in the PBA Commissioner's Cup.
While he's back in the pool and he seems like an easy fit, his inclusion in the final two games is far from certain as he'll still have to prove that he deserves this
"He will be competing for a spot in the 12," Cone added.
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