FROM familiar names to fresh faces, coach Josh Reyes has announced his 18-man Gilas Pilipinas Boys' Under-16 roster.
Among recognizable names in the Jakarta-bound squad are Kieffer Alas, CJ Amos, Ziv Espinas, and Jaime Gomez de Liaño — all of whom belong to renowned basketball clans.
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Fil-foreign players in NBA Academy-bound Irus Chua who once scored 121 points in a local league, Paul Diao, Edwyn Morales, and Elijah Williams also made the final cut.
Completing the full lineup are top youth standouts Jheremy Godoy, Champ Arejola, Kurt Velasquez, Bon Daja, Gian Gomez, Brian Hacuela, Ben Jimenez, Joaquin Ludovice, and Ethan Kaw.
With less than a month's worth of training and preparation, the newly formed squad will battle it out against Malaysia (July 17), Thailand (July 18), and host nation Indonesia (July 19) at the 2023 SEABA Under-16 Championship in Jakarta.
The competition's fast-paced format will not feature a playoff round. Only a single-round robin will determine the eventual champion, thus putting immense pressure on the teams to win as many games as possible.
Reyes' foresight to prepare early allowed the team to have ample time despite the short notice given to the four competing teams for the SEABA tiff.
"It’s a unique situation because when the FIBA calendar started, [the SEABA U-16 Championship] is not part of it. It’s unprecedented that the memo only came out a month before the tournament. Luckily, we started a bit early in terms of calling in players for tryouts and workouts," Reyes said.
"Although we weren’t practicing every day, we were able to start early. We are thankful to the SBP and to the parents for allowing us to make this happen. I’m pretty confident that the guys will be ready," he added.
High stakes await the Gilas young guns as their upcoming SEABA tilt concurrently serves as a qualifying event for the 2023 FIBA U-16 Asian Championship from September 17 to 24 in Doha, Qatar, where the Philippines last copped its lone silver medal in 2013.
"I'm very happy because last year I got cut so I didn't get the opportunity to play, so now I get the chance to play and represent the country," said Alas. "I think I got more serious in playing the game. Last year, I used that kasi as motivation to get bigger and improve as a player and as a person."
"Sobrang happy ko since one time na big opportunity 'to. And as born [in 2008], maraming players na gustong makapunta dito and nabigyan ako ng chance ni Lord at saka ni Coach Josh [Reyes] na makasali dito sa team," said Espinas.
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