Several Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) players are non-committal on suiting up for the Gilas Pilipinas in the third window of the 2021 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Cup Qualifiers to be held here in February.
PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said some cagers in the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) wish list have begged off as they are still recovering from injuries brought by the 2020 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup bubble.
According to the PBA commissioner, he tried his best to convince the listed players to join the training bubble that started over the weekend at the Inspire Sports Academy in Laguna, but some politely declined.
âWe canât force them to enter another bubble since they just came there a month ago,â Marcial said. âIn the end, itâs still the playersâ decision to make, not ours.â
So far, Ilonggo guard Kiefer Ravena of NLEX Road Warriors was the lone PBA cager to enter the âCalambubble,â with the invited PBA players expected to enter the facility by Jan. 22.
Ravena joined Gilas cadets Isaac Go, Matt Nieto, Mike Nieto, and Rey Suerte.
Javi Gomez de Liano, Dave Ildefonso, Justine Baltazar, Calvin Oftana, William Navarro, Kenmark Carino and Angelo Kouame will likewise suite up in the bubble.
The Gilas Pilipinas now has a 3-0 record after winning over Indonesia last February and against Thailand twice last month. They only need a win to formalize their entry to the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon.
In the upcoming FIBA Asia Cup qualifier window, the national menâs basketball team will play against South Korea twice and Indonesia once./PN
