Photos from Fiba
MANILA, Philippines—With three months to go before the Fiba World Cup, coach Chot Reyes has yet to decide between Justin Brownlee and Jordan Clarkson as Gilas Pilipinas’ naturalized player.
In fact, Reyes said not a single player is guaranteed of a spot on the team.
“We still have not made the decision, like I said nobody has a lock on any slot, it is a real and honest statement, not even Justin or Jordan,” Reyes said in an interview with One News’ The Big Story.
“Economics is also going to be an issue so there are a lot of things involved for the final determination,” he added.
Both Brownlee and Clarkson have made a strong case to lead Gilas in the World Cup.
Brownlee, most recently, helped Gilas reclaim the gold medal in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games.
Clarkson, meanwhile, powered the Philippines to an 84-46 victory over Saudi Arabia last year in the qualifiers.
The Utah Jazz star finished with 23 points, six rebounds and six assists in the victory. The former NBA Sixth Man of the Year also helped Gilas place fifth in the 2018 Asian Games under coach Yeng Guiao.
Fortunately for Gilas, the schedule won’t seem to be a hindrance with other tournaments giving way for the quadrennial showcase in August.
“One big obstacle that we’ve always wrestled with in the past is the schedule of games in the PBA, Japan or Korea. That obstacle is going to be cleared now because every other tournament in the world is going on pause for the World Cup,” Reyes said.
As the global competition looms, Reyes said the coaching staff’s plan is to come up with a pool made up of 16 to 18 players where the final 12 will be built.
“We’re thinking 16-18 players to make the final pool from which we’ll choose the final 12.”
Gilas is grouped with the Dominican Republic, Italy and Angola.
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