MANILA – Seven players from San Miguel Beermen, TNT Tropang Giga and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings were called up by Gilas Pilipinas for the fifth window of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers this November.
Called up from the newly-crowned PBA Philippine Cup champions Beermen were June Mar Fajardo and Jaymar Perez, while John Paul Erram and Roger Pogoy were tapped from the Tropang Giga.
Reigning PBA Most Valuable Player Earl Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar and Arvin Tolentino were invited from the Gin Kings. The rest of the pool are to be announced at a later date.
The seven PBA players were called up after Gilas Pilipinas head coach Vincent “Chot” Reyes reached an agreement with management of the three teams on the availability of these players for the coming FIBA window.
The 6-foot-10 Fajardo first represented Gilas in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, when the Philippines qualified for the FIBA World Cup. The six-time PBA champions’ latest national team stint was the 2019 edition in China.
The 6-foot-2 Perez, who recently won his first ever PBA championship with the Beermen, was also a member of the 2019 national 3 x 3 team that also won the gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games.
Thompson was a member of the 2019 SEA Games men’s basketball gold medal team and recently returned to the national men’s basketball team during the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
Aguilar has been a consistent fixture in the national team program and as early as 2008 when Smart-Gilas was formed, he was already included in the squad then coached by Rajko Toroman.
Tolentino used to play for the national youth team in Asian Championships during his amateur days, while Pogoy and Erram had also represented the national team several times before.
The national men’s basketball team will have two away games in the November window of the Asian Qualifier. They will first face Jordan on November 11 in Amman before going to Saudi Arabia on November 14./PN
