Poy ready for Gilas

MANILA, Philippines — TNT center Poy Erram is ready to play for Gilas in the FIBA Asia Cup in Jakarta on July 12-24 if coach Chot Reyes taps him. Erram wasn’t in the original 24-man lineup submitted by SBP to FIBA Asia but was added to the pool after naturalized import Ange Kouame went down with a meniscal sprain and partial ACL tear.

SBP deputy executive director and Gilas team manager Butch Antonio confirmed that Erram was cleared by FIBA to enter the pool as a medical replacement for Kouame. Antonio said Erram’s TNT teammate Troy Rosario was in the original roster but like Kouame, was scratched with an injury. Rosario underwent surgery to remove a bone spur in his right knee last Wednesday. “Wala pang timeline kailan makakabalik,” said Rosario. “Depende sa healing gaano kabilis. Nagpapagaling na.” Erram said he’ll never beg off from the opportunity to play for the country.

It won’t be easy sailing for Gilas in Jakarta. The Philippines is bracketed in Group D with New Zealand, Lebanon and India. Gilas battles Lebanon on July 13, India on July 15 and New Zealand on July 17. After the preliminary round, the fourth placer drops out of contention while the top team advances to the KO quarterfinals to play the winner of the playoff between B2 and A3 on July 20. Teams in Group A are Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Australia and Indonesia while teams in Group B are Chinese-Taipei, China, South Korea and Bahrain. Indonesia must qualify for the quarterfinals to secure an automatic ticket to play in the 2023 FIBA World Cup as a co-host with Japan and the Philippines.

If the Philippines finishes second in Group D, it will face C3 in a playoff for a quarterfinals slot on July 19. If the Philippines finishes third, it will battle C2 on the same day. Teams in Group C are Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan and Syria. The semifinals will be on July 23 with the final and playoff for third on July 24. The FIBA Asia Cup is held every four years and as a stand-alone continental tournament, is not a qualifier for either the Olympics or World Cup. But a team must play in a continental competition as a requirement to join the World Cup qualifiers. There are 80 teams from four FIBA zones that participate in the World Cup qualifiers through the four continental championships or AfroBasket for Africa, AmeriCup for the Americas, EuroBasket for Europe and Asia Cup for Asia and Oceania. AfroBasket, AmeriCup and Asia Cup are bannered by 16 teams each while Europe has 32.