It’s not just Northport’s Jamie Malonzo who has been cleared by FIBA to play as a local for Gilas Pilipinas.
Tiebreaker Times has learned that three more players were also able to be given local status if ever they get chosen to be part of the national team pool.
A quick check with the FIBA portal showed that free agent Roosevelt Adams, Meralco’s do-it-all winger Chris Newsome, and Converge guard Maverick Ahanmisi are registered as Filipinos and are under the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.
Photo by PBA Images
Adams, 28 and a 6-foot-5 winger, was able to successfully prove that he was able to obtain his Philippine passport when he was just nine years old — way earlier than the 16-year-old requirement of FIBA for local eligibility.
(C) PBA Images
Meanwhile, Newsome, 31, was given an exemption by way of FIBA article 3-21a.
Newsome obtained his Philippine passport shortly after the age of 16, moved to the Philippines when he was 20 years old, studied in Ateneo de Manila University, and has been playing pro basketball in the PBA.
Thirty-one-year-old Maverick Ahanmisi’s case, on the other hand, was different as he was able to present a “special document” that proved that he should be a local, according to a source closely monitoring the situation.
Adams has yet to suit up for the national team while Newsome (2019 SEA Games) and Ahanmisi (2018 Asian Games) have already represented the national team albeit not in FIBA-sanctioned events.
However, Maverick’s younger brother Jerrick’s nationality is American in the portal. This means that if he plays for Gilas, he will be classified as a naturalized player for now.
Also allowed to play as a local is KBL-bound player Justin Gutang.
Not as fortunate though is Jordan Clarkson as his FIBA profile has him playing under the SBP but his nationality is both Filipino and American which classifies him as a naturalized player.
