Caelum Harris banners Gilas U16 squad for FIBA Asian tiff

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-American ace guard Caelum Harris spearheads a new batch of Gilas Pilipinas youth squad raring to test its mettle in the 2022 FIBA U16 Asian Championship on June 12-19 in Doha, Qatar.

Harris, the 16-year-old wunderkind from Nashville, Tennessee, is on top of the 12-man roster from the previous 18-strong pool announced by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas before the team's departure last night.

Ateneo’s Lebron Nieto and Jared Bahay are also in the fray as captains of the squad that will slug it out against Japan and Kuwait in Pool C.

The first FIBA U16 event amid the pandemic is a qualifier to the 2022 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup next month in Malaga, Spain. 

Completing the squad are Jacob Bayla, Apl Mcandrei Gemao, Jayden Jones, Kristian Porter, Sebastian Reyes, Mikhail Romero, Zain Mahmood, Alexander Konov and Lorenzo Competente.

Joseph Pangilinan, Elijah Yusi and Francis Veejay Pre are listed as reserves for the Gilas youth under the watch of returning mentor Josh Reyes.

The new crop of Filipino teens faces a tall order of following up the success of the Gilas youth's golden era led by the triple tower combo of Kai Sotto, AJ Edu and Carl Tamayo.

Behind the troika, Gilas youth soared to new heights highlighted by multiple FIBA Asia podium finishes and World Cup appearances.