McGee’s sis for naturalization?

MANILA, Philippines — NBA center JaVale McGee’s 6-7 sister Imani could be a candidate for naturalization to join the Gilas women’s basketball team and a reliable source close to the player said the other day she would agree to enlist “in a heartbeat.”

The national women’s squad is in the seven-team Division A of FIBA Asia and has staved off demotion to Division B since breaking into the upper level in 2015. But coach Pat Aquino’s crew has been unable to advance beyond last place with Olympic-caliber competition from Japan, South Korea and Australia. Aquino recently recruited 6-1 Fil-Am Mai Loni Henson of the University of Washington as the Philippines’ naturalized “import” for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in February. With her Filipino lineage, Henson qualifies in the SEA and Asian Games as a local, opening the door for a naturalized foreigner like McGee.

McGee, 27, was the Chicago Sky’s first round pick in the 2016 WNBA draft. She has played in the WNBA, Israel, Turkey, China and Australia. McGee’s brother JaVale was once considered to be a naturalized player for the Gilas men’s team. He was injured during the process of joining Gilas and replaced by Andray Blatche. JaVale, 33, has played in the NBA since the 2008-09 season and now plays for Phoenix. Aside from McGee, other options for naturalization are six-foot Naomi Davenport, an import in Finland and 5-10 KK Bransford of Notre Dame. Recruiting more Fil-Ams is also a possibility with prospects including 5-10 Laila Phelia of the University of Michigan.

Gilas women’s center Jack Animam, now playing as an import in the Serbian league, said it’s critical for the national team to gain exposure to high-caliber competition overseas. “Sana makapag-train sa US or Europe to play against top college or pro teams,” she said. “More preparation ang kailangan. Competitions helped us in getting ready for the SEA Games in 2019 kaya tayo nanalo. Malaking bagay nasa Division A sa FIBA Asia pero malayo pa tayo sa taas but one day, we’ll get there.”