Tim Cone names Gilas final 12 for SEA Games

With less than two weeks before the basketball competition, Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone has named his final 12 to the national team for the 30th Southeast Asian Games here.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al Panlilio made the announcement late Friday, a week before the opening of the biennial meet on Saturday or exactly 12 days before the start of basketball action at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Named to the national team are LA Tenorio, Stanley Pringle and Japeth Aguilar – Cone’s players at Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, reigning PBA five-time MVP June Mar Fajardo and his San Miguel Beer teammates Marcio Lassiter and Chris Ross, TNT KaTropa’s RR Pogoy and Troy Rosario, and Kiefer Ravena of NLEX.

Completing the roster are Matthew Wright of Phoenix Fuel, Vic Manuel of Alaska and Christian Standhardinger of NorthPort. Of the 12, Ravena was a late addition since he replaced the injured Jayson Castro.

Left out are Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson, Art dela Cruz and Greg Slaughter, who injured his right thumb that forced him to miss practice and a tuneup game a few weeks back.

Panlilio commended all the players for their dedication to play for Gilas, even though it’s not a sure thing to be chosen to play for the national team in the regional event the country is hosting for the first time in 14 years, or since the 2005 edition of the SEA Games.

“The SBP thanks all of the players who made themselves available to be part of our Gilas Pilipinas men pool,” said Panlilio.

“The coaching staff, led by coach Tim Cone, is doing a great job in preparing the team for the upcoming SEA Games and they had the unenviable task of trimming the lineup down to just 12 individuals.”

Panlilio added: “Although the decision was surely not easy, the SBP have complete trust in the team and we’re excited to defend our crown as the best basketball team in the region.”

The SBP appointed Ginebra governor Alfrancis Chua as adviser of the national team, while Gabby Cui keeps his position as team manager of Gilas Pilipinas

The national team is in Group A with Vietnam, Myanmar and Singapore, while in Group B are Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Gilas clashes with Singapore on opening day December 4, takes a break the following day, and then tackles Vietnam on December 6 and Myanmar on December 7. The semifinal is December 10, while the gold medal game is December 11.

Source: Manila Bulletin