AMID the uncertainty surrounding the Gilas Pilipinas line-up for the Asian Games, coach Tim Cone said the five newcomers will be suiting up in their first and only tune-up match against the Changwon LG Sakers on Friday.
Cone disclosed on Thursday that Chris Ross, Kevin Alas, Arvin Tolentino, CJ Perez, and Marcio Lassiter - and not Calvin Abueva and Co, - will be playing in the tune-up game to be held at 4 p.m. at the Philsports Arena.
READ: Sorting out the confusion over Gilas' 60-, 37 and 12-man Asiad lists
At posting time, there is still uncertainty over the final roster of Gilas, which initially listed Abueva, Terrence Romeo, Jason Perkins, and Mo Tautuaa in the Final 12 to gun for a medal in the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
However, complications arose as Romeo, Abueva, Perkins, and Tautuaa were not part of the list of 37 players submitted to the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (Hagoc), forcing Gilas to find replacements that were on the list.
The cases of Romeo, Abueva, Perkins, and Tautuaa are still under appeal. Although Gilas already got word that the four are out, it has yet to receive an official communication that the replacements are in with the team scheduled to fly out to China on Saturday.
Lassiter, on the other hand, is expected to be approved as replacement to Roger Pogoy, who has been ruled out due to a health issue. Lassiter is part of the 37-man list, as are Ross, Alas, Perez and Tolentino.
The tune-up match, which is open to the public, is the only one for Gilas after its scheduled scrimmage with Meralco on Tuesday was cancelled after the confusion over the lineup arose.
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