Ray-Ray Parks named to Gilas 24

MANILA, Philippines - Two-time UAAP MVP Bobby Ray Parks has been named to the Gilas 24-man lineup that will be submitted to FIBA as a requirement for the Olympic qualifying tournament at the MOA Arena on July 5-10.

SBP deputy executive director for international affairs Butch Antonio said yesterday the deadline to turn in a hard copy of the 24-man roster falls on Wednesday, May 4. The next deadline is on June 20 when teams are required to submit a “short list” of 12 to 16 players. The third deadline is on June 27 when the final 12-man cast will be sent. Only the players from the 24-man roster may be included in the lineups for June 20 and 27.

FIBA may allow a few changes in the final 12-man team during the managers’ meeting on the day before the tournament starts but it will depend on the reason for each switch. If the reason is a player is unable to play because of injury, FIBA may permit a change. A fee of $2,000 is usually assessed for every player replacement. Allowing a late change is discretionary on FIBA’s part. Any player change on the eve of the tournament will come only from the 24-man list.

Antonio said Parks, who just finished playing for the Texas Legends in the NBA D-League, has spoken with Gilas coach Tab Baldwin and expressed his intention to try out for the national squad.  “Ray-Ray arrived a few days ago and wants a shot at a slot,” said Antonio. “Of course, he’s welcome. He’s one of the best young players in the country today.”

In a recent interview, Parks confirmed his willingness to play for Gilas. “If I had the privilege of doing that, then I would love to,” he said. “I mean, I’m not only representing the country by just playing with Gilas but also wherever I go, I always have the Philippines on my back. In the Olympic qualifiers, I believe that as long as we play with ‘puso,’ we have a chance to defeat any team by just giving it our all.”

From playing for Dallas in the NBA Summer League to joining Texas in the NBA D-League, Parks said he’s learning to become a complete player. “From my time in the Philippines, I can say that my shooting has really developed and at the same time, getting that higher basketball IQ, that feed from the coaches, the breakdown on what we’re trying to do and how to read the game,” he said. “Everybody’s really competitive whether it may be just from running, sprints or playing up and down. It’s very physical and intense. The practices really go for a long time but at the same time, each minute we are competing.”

Parks, 23, isn’t the only non-PBA player in Gilas’ 24-man roster. The others are Kiefer Ravena, 22; Kevin Ferrer, 23; Mac Belo, 23; R. R. Pogoy, 23; Russell Escoto, 23 and naturalized player Andray Blatche, 29. The PBA players in the cast are Matt Ganuelas-Rosser, 25; Ranidel de Ocampo, 34; Ryan Reyes, 32; Mo Tautuaa, 27; Jayson Castro, 29; Troy Rosario, 24; L. A. Tenorio, 31; Greg Slaughter, 27; Japeth Aguilar, 29; Marcio Lassiter, 28; JuneMar Fajardo, 26; Gabe Norwood, 31; Jeff Chan, 33; Paul Lee, 27; Calvin Abueva, 28; Terrence Romeo, 24 and Marc Pingris, 34.

The average age of the 24-man cast is 27 and average height is 6-3. In the Gilas lineups for the 2014 FIBA World Cup and 2015 FIBA Asia Championships, the average age was 32. The average height was 6-3 for the World Cup and 6-5 for the FIBA Asia Championships. Asi Taulava’s presence increased the average height for Changsha.

The 2014 FIBA World Cup players not in the 24-man list are Jimmy Alapag and Gary David while missing from the 2015 FIBA Asia roster are Taulava, J. C. Intal, Sonny Thoss and Dondon Hontiveros. The players who saw action in Spain and Changsha and are in the 24-man cast are De Ocampo, Castro, Norwood, Blatche and Pingris. Aguilar, Tenorio, Fajardo, Chan and Lee played in Spain but not in Changsha while Ganuelas-Rosser, Abueva and Romeo played in Changsha but not in Spain. The players who didn’t suit up in Spain or Changsha and are now in the 24-man lineup are Reyes, Tautuaa, Rosario, Slaughter, Lassiter, Parks, Ravena, Ferrer, Belo, Pogoy and Escoto.

Tautuaa was included to back up Blatche.  He is not eligible to play as a local despite holding a Philippine passport as a Fil-Tongan dual citizen. FIBA requires a dual citizen to submit a passport issued before turning 16 to play for his other country or the country where he wasn’t born. Tautuaa received his Philippine passport only a year ago.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson was excluded from the 24-man lineup. FIBA previously informed the SBP that Clarkson may play for Gilas but only as a naturalized citizen even as he is half-Filipino. Since FIBA allows a national team to enlist only one naturalized citizen, the choice for Gilas was between Blatche and Clarkson. As Clarkson’s availability is up in the air with his Los Angeles Lakers contract under renegotiation, the SBP decided to go with Blatche. Besides, Blatche is a tested performer, having led the 2014 FIBA World Cup in efficiency (22.4; Pau Gasol was in second place with 21.7), scoring (24.2), rebounding (13.8) and double-doubles (5). Contract renegotiations in the NBA may also restrict Boris Diaw and Nicolas Batum from playing for France at the Olympic qualifier here.