CALVIN Oftana is in line to be the 12th man of Gilas Pilipinas for the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.
A source close to the TNT forward confirmed to Spin.ph that Oftana is bound to take the next flight out for the Aichi Prefecture in order to be available in time for the defending champion's first game against Bahrain on Sept. 11.
READ: Bahrain lists four naturalized players in its Asian Games lineup
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas is yet to respond to inquiries regarding the forward's eligibility, but Oftana going to the Asiad meant he was part of the 30-man list submitted earlier by the federation to the Asiad Organizing Committee.
The need to fill in the void of the 12tn and final spot in the Gilas roster came about as naturalized player Justin Brownlee has yet to fully recover from the multitude of injuries he suffered in the course of his campaign with Barangay Ginebra during the PBA Commissioner's Cup.
The 30-year-old Oftana though, is himself coming off a hamstring and toe injuries that made him missed the first half of the season-ending Governors Cup eliminations.
It's only recently that the former NCAA MVP from San Beda has joined the team in practice as posted in the official TNT Tropang 5G social media account.
Adjusting to coach Tim Cone's system however, is the least concern of Oftana.
The TNT star was part of the Gilas team that won the gold in the 2022 Hangzhou, China edition of the quadrennial meet, which ended the country's 61-year title drought in the Asiad,
Oftana will actually be the only remnant of that Gilas squad four years ago who is back in the lineup to help the country win back-to-back Asiad gold medal.
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