Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes took to Twitter in the afternoon of June 9 to announce the new members of the national team pool. But of all the players mentioned, people noticed that one name was not on the list.
Ray Parks, Jr.’s name, that is.
The two-time UAAP Most Valuable Player’s non-inclusion in Reyes’ call-up was surprising, given that he is coming off a stint in the ASEAN Basketball League where he was named the 2016-2017 MVP among local players.
But Tuesday night in the resumption of Gilas’ practice at the Meralco Gym in Pasig City, the 24-year-old out of Parañaque surprisingly showed up in full uniform, and joined the team’s practice.
Parks, Jr., as it turned out, had reached out to Reyes, who allowed him to attend the session.
“I just got the go signal from coach Chot. It’s more about reaching out and more on communicating,” said Parks, Jr., who last represented the country during the 2016 FIBA OQT. “There were some miscommunication here and there was even articles.
“But at the end of the day, it’s all about the Philippines as a nation representing the country, especially with what the country’s going through right now.”
It has been a long time since Parks, Jr. had stepped into the Meralco Gym facility to practice with the Nationals — July of 2016, to be exact, when he and Gilas were preparing for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament here in Manila.
With that, Parks, Jr. could not help but be nostalgic as he made his way into the gym.
“Probably like a year? A year and a half? So just being here at the gym, a lot has changed — I just walked into the lobby and I felt like everything has changed already,” Parks, Jr. reflected.
“They upgraded it.”
And with regards to the fresh faces he saw Tuesday night — newer and younger compared to those he played with last year, the six-foot-four scorer already likes what he has seen of the talent the pool possesses right now.
“Just being in the national pool, there’s a lot of talent, and I’m blessed just to be here right now,” said the second-generation cager.
“Everybody’s trying out, everybody’s trying to be part of the line-up. Everybody’s doing their best.”
Gilas is now preparing for three tournaments coming up — the Jones Cup in Taiwan, the FIBA-Asia Cup in Lebanon, and the SEA Games in Malaysia. Asked in which delegation would he want to be in, he admits he has no preference.
“To be honest, wherever my country needs me to.
“I mean, I’d love to represent the country with the best talent and with experienced players. Wherever my country needs me to, I’ll definitely serve,” assured Parks, Jr.
