MANILA, Philippines — Naghain ng House Bill si Antipolo City 1st District representative at Deputy Speaker Robbie Puno upang maging naturalized si Ivorian center Angelo Kouame ng Ateneo de Manila University.
Nakapaloob sa House Bill No. 5951 ang kahilingang maging Filipino citizen ang 20-anyos na si Kouame na inaasahang magiging malaking tulong sa mga susunod na international tournaments na lalahukan ng national team.
“We marveled at his performance that helped clinch a sixteen-and-O sweep for the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the 82nd Season of the UAAP. Mister Kouame may have had little knowledge of basketball before he came to our shores, but we cannot deny the immense potential he has shown by now,” wika ni Puno.
Pangunahin nang nakasentro ang atensiyon ng Gilas Pilipinas sa 2023 FIBA World Cup na idaraos sa Pilipinas.
“This pool of players would be valuable to our national team because the team would have more naturalized players to field in the case of injuries,” ani Puno.
Nauna nang naging naturalized player ng Gilas Pilipinas sina Marcus Douthit at Andray Blatche.