MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas youth is leaving no stone unturned in a rushed preparation for the SEABA U16 Championship on July 17-19 in Indonesia serving as the new gateway to the FIBA U16 Asian Championship in September in Qatar.
Made aware of the needed qualifier through a memo only last month, the Nationals raced against time in assembling their roster but are now looking good in their build-up for a mission of advancing to the regional tilt.
Gilas boys, under the tutelage of Josh Reyes, are currently in the thick of its training camp at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna featuring 18 players from almost 100 aspirants.
“I’m pretty confident that the guys will be ready. It’s good na nag-start kami early but yun nga, minadali to be game-ready. We expedite the learning curve,” said Reyes. “Majority of these guys come from really good programs and coached by really good coaches. That’s why they’re at the level they’re at now with their age.”
NBA Academy Asia standouts Kieffer Alas, son of seasoned coach Louie and brother of NLEX ace Kevin, along with Irus Chua headline the 18-man Gilas cast sharpening their claws in Laguna.
Other players in the camp are Champ Arejola, Kurt Velasquez, CJ Amos, Bon Daja, Paul Diao, Edryn Morales, Gian Gomez, Brian Hachuela, Elijah Williams, Ben Jimenez, Daniel Sta. Maria, Joaqui Ludivice, Ethan Kaw, Jheremy Godoy, Ziv Espinas and Jaime Gomez de Liano.
This year’s Gilas youth edition is far different from the previous ones, especially the towering and golden batch of Kai Sotto and AJ Edu that clinched multiple World Cup appearances.
But Reyes sees something from the equally valiant Filipino teens.
“We talked about our national hero, Jose Rizal, while here in Calamba. Talking about Rizal gave them a good sense of what they’re fighting for. We’re focusing on what it means to put on the Gilas Pilipinas jersey,” he said ahead of their departure this weekend.
Upon landing in Jakarta, Gilas is out to show that fight with a goal of winning it all against the host Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia to dodge any complications.
“We need to win to qualify. It’s hard because the format is three games and that’s it. So, there's no playoffs. You have to win every game to qualify. The expectation is to win every game,” Reyes vowed.