Kouame rejoins Gilas

MANILA, Philippines — Ange Kouame landed at the Vilnius International Airport in Lithuania late morning yesterday on a Turkish Airlines flight from Manila via Istanbul to rejoin Gilas in training for the FIBA World Cup as one of three naturalized players in the national team pool. Kouame attended his Ateneo graduation last Friday and left for Lithuania the next day.

Gilas team manager Butch Antonio who is with the pool in Kaunas, Lithuania, said at least two more tune-ups are being arranged after two friendlies in Estonia and two with the Ukraine U20 squad last weekend. It’s not certain if coach Chot Reyes will play Kouame and Justin Brownlee together or alternately when more friendlies are organized. The third naturalized player in the pool is Jordan Clarkson who will join the camp late this month to keep his commitment of six weeks with Gilas including 17 days during the FIBA World Cup. Clarkson should be in harness when Gilas travels to China to play in a pocket tournament with Iran, Lebanon and Senegal on Aug. 2-6.

Brownlee reported to camp in Estonia from the US where he underwent a minor non-basketball-related medical procedure that required a one-week rest. He hadn’t played since leading the Philippines to the gold medal in men’s basketball at the SEA Games in Cambodia last May. In his first tune-up in Estonia a day after arriving, he collected eight points and four rebounds in 19 minutes before returning to the bench for good with cramps in the third quarter. In his next friendly with Finland, he scored 11 points.

Kouame, 25, is from the Ivory Coast and has lived in the Philippines since 2017. He won three UAAP titles with Ateneo. Because of his years of residence, Kouame may qualify as a local under FIBA’s exception clause although he is now classified as a naturalized citizen. What Kouame plans beyond Gilas isn’t a concern at the moment. “My focus is Gilas,” he said. “Whatever comes along the way, I’ll just wait for offers to play wherever.” Suiting up for Gilas in the Asian Games is a possibility considering Clarkson won’t be available and Brownlee will be back in the Ginebra camp preparing for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

Kouame was on the Gilas team that lost to the Dominican Republic 94-67 at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade in 2021 and recalled it was tough playing against the Caribbean squad. “We were a small team with small point guards and they were really huge and athletic,” he said. “It was hard for us to space the floor. They didn’t really play a system, they relied more on their basketball skills. When we play them in the World Cup, our defense has to step up and we’ve got to represent what we stand for. I think it’ll be a good match.”