WITHOUT much time to prepare for the February window of the 2023 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers, new Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes has talked about his desire to beef up the national team with his TNT Tropang Giga players.
It's a quick fix to a conundrum that Reyes found himself in after being tasked on short notice by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) to take over from Tab Baldwin, less than three weeks before the qualifiers at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
It's a move reminiscent of the 2018 Asian Games where the SBP gave the responsibility to Rain or Shine to make up the nucleus of the national team - thus birthing the short-lived Gilastopainters with Yeng Guiao calling the shots.
Right now, Gilas only has a handful players available for the next window, namely Juan Gomez de Liano, naturalized player Ange Kouame, and current pool members William Navarro, Jaydee Tungcab, and Tzaddy Rangel.
It begs the question, who among the TNT players can make Gilas much better when it faces its Group A peers later this month?
Let's take a closer look at the players that the Tropang Giga has on their roster and the international experience they have under their belt.
Mikey Williams
Oh, what great delight will it be for Reyes to have someone like Williams be part of this Gilas team. In his rookie season, the Fil-Am guard is quick to show his pedigree and remains as the top scorer for TNT with 18.3 points through four games this conference.
Unfortunately, those dreams will have to remain as that - dreams - as Williams is unlikely to be called up as a local.
That is unless the SBP tries to appeal his case to be considered as a homegrown and not a naturalized player, the same way it did for Greg Slaughter (which it won), as well as Stanley Pringle, Christian Standhardinger, and Mo Tautuaa (which it lost). But with not much room to wiggle, don't get your hopes up.
Williams' only chance to represent the Philippines is in non-Fiba-sanctioned club competitions like what he did with Mighty Sports where the team won the gold in the 2019 Jones Cup and ruled the 2020 Dubai International Basketball Tournament behind Renaldo Balkman and Andray Blatche.
Jayson Castro
Four years since he last donned that Gilas jersey, Castro finds himself on the verge of dusting off that familiar colors anew.
It's a funny happenstance for the Kapampangan guard who was adjudged as the Best Point Guard in Asia twice and returned time and again after initially expressing his desire to retire from international competition as early as 2016.
But Castro's resume speaks for itself, being the driving force of the Philippines' silver medal finish in the 2013 and 2015 Fiba Asia Championships.
At 35, it's intriguing how deadly The Blur can still be in this potential Gilas comeback.
Roger Pogoy
Of the TNT players, Pogoy should be a no-brainer addition to the Gilas as he has been part of the national team from his cadet days in 2016.
His last go-round was in the Philippines' 100-70 win over Indonesia back in February 2020 where he fired 16 points, six rebounds, and two assists in the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers.
More importantly, Pogoy must be looking for redemption especially with how his run with Gilas in the 2019 Fiba World Cup ended.
Troy Rosario
Much like Pogoy, Rosario also has the same plans in this potential Gilas comeback tour.
A part of the national team program since 2015 with the cadets team, his last tour of duty was also in that Indonesia game where he tallied seven points and five rebounds.
However, his back injury may prevent him from being called up in this window.
Poy Erram
Erram was scratched off the Gilas roster for the 2019 Fiba World Cup due to injuries, and he's certainly determined to get another chance at playing in the global showpiece.
He last donned the Pilipinas jersey in the aforementioned Indonesia game where he had five points in just 18 minutes of play.
But one thing's clear, Erram will do everything he could for this fresh chance with Gilas. Remember his chipped tooth while diving for the ball in the 2018 Asian Games?
Kelly Williams
Williams certainly couldn't have imagined that at 40 years of age, he will still be in the frame for a spot in the national team.
A reinforcement to the original Smart Gilas program, Williams last donned the national tri-colors in the 2011 Fiba Asia Championship where the Rajko Toroman-coached squad finished fourth in Wuhan.
Ryan Reyes
Reyes' first call-up in the national team was as part of the Powerade-Team Pilipinas where the team captured gold in the 2009 SEABA Championship, but he was left off from the 2019 Fiba Asia Championship in Tianjin.
Much to his surprise, Tab Baldwin included him in the 14-man pool for the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila back in 2016 where he only played 9.9 minutes in two games.
Matt Ganuelas-Rosser
Originally recruited back in 2012 to be part of the national team, Ganuelas-Rosser was part of the Gilas program since then, taking home a SEA Games gold in Naypyidaw in 2013 and a silver in the 2015 Fiba Asia Championship in Changsha.
With a potential Gilas call-up, consider this in-season move from Terrafirma as already a W for MGR.
Dave Marcelo
Marcelo's only brush with the national team was in the 2011 SEA Games in Jakarta when the Norman Black-coached Sinag Pilipinas squad led by Kiefer Ravena, Greg Slaughter, Chris Tiu, and Cliff Hodge, won the gold medal.
Glenn Khobuntin
Fresh from his championship run with National University, Khobuntin earned his place in the Gilas cadets team in the gold-medal runs at the 2015 SEABA Championship and the 2015 SEA Games, both in Singapore.
Carl Bryan Cruz
Cruz won a gold medal in the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur in a loaded Gilas cadets squad that featured Ravena, Rosario, and Standhardinger.
He was about to make his seniors team debut in July 2018 at the 2019 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers but found himself in the middle of the infamous Philippines-Australia brawl. He was slapped with a five-game suspension for his actions in that fracas.
Gab Banal
It has been more than a decade since Banal last wore the national tri-colors as part of the youth team. He was part of the champion team in the 2008 SEABA Under-18 Championship led by RR Garcia and Ian Sangalang that later placed fourth in the 2008 Fiba Asia Under-18 Championship in Tehran.
Jjay Alejandro
A fixture in the national youth teams, Alejandro led Batang Gilas to a fourth-place finish in the 2011 Fiba Asia Under-16 Championship and a gold medal in the 2012 SEABA Under-18 Championship.
He was also included in Reyes' cadets team which saw action in the Filoil Flying V Preseason Cup during the summer before TNT took him eighth overall in the 2018 PBA Rookie Draft.
Almond Vosotros
Vosotros won two gold medals in the SEA Games in 2015 and 2017, and was also part of the 2015 SEABA Championship in Singapore.
Even when he was a free agent in the PBA, he was still included in the Gilas pool during the 2017 PBA All-Star week - the only unaffiliated local player to ever suit up in the league's midseason festivities.
Note: Brian Heruela, Ping Exciminiano, Kib Montalbo, Gryann Mendoza, Rey Mark Acuno, and 3x3 players Samboy de Leon, Chris Javier, Lervin Flores, and Martin Gozum have never been called up for national team duty.
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