Gilas Pilipinas expands U23 3×3 pool for busy September

MANILA, Philippines–Gilas Pilipinas will expand its U23 3×3 player pool as it prepares for back-to-back international tournaments in September, according to Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas 3×3 program director Ryan Gregorio.

The national team is set to compete in the Fiba 3×3 U23 World Cup in Wuhan, China, from September 15 to 19 before heading straight to the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, from September 21 to 25. Gregorio said the Asian Games 3×3 tournament is also limited to U23 players.

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“We’re actually preparing for two tournaments, so it’s impossible for us to have just one team,” Gregorio said during Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum. “We’re expanding our pool and checking on the players available.”

The move also takes into account the overlapping schedules of the UAAP and NCAA, both of which are set to open around the same period.

“I think the conflict right now is the schedule of the UAAP and NCAA,” Gregorio said. “We have to study the schedule carefully and also coordinate closely with the coaches because we don’t want to affect the teams and schools competing in their respective tournaments.”

The Gilas squad that won the Fiba 3×3 Nations League Asia to qualify for the World Cup is composed entirely of student-athletes: Earl Medina of Adamson, Koji Buenaflor of the University of Santo Tomas, Jhun Dela Rama of San Beda, and Far Eastern University teammates Cabs Cabonilas and Jedric Daa.

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Medina, Buenaflor and Dela Rama joined Gregorio and coach JJ Espanola during the forum.

Gregorio said the SBP hopes to build a pool of 12 to 15 players.

A separate U23 squad will also compete in the Fiba 3×3 Youth Nations League in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, from Aug. 16 to 24.

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“We’ll have six players there as well,” Gregorio said. “The idea is really to expand the pool and get the best possible talent to represent the country, so we really have to study it carefully.”