Several netizens have batted for Greg Slaughter’s inclusion in Gilas Pilipinas, especially now with the national team in search of players for the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers’ second window in November.
The 7-foot slotman has long expressed his willingness to suit up for flag and country, as he has in the past. And now seems to be the most opportune time, with the dilemma Gilas is facing.
The stars might be aligning, now that Slaughter has returned home after spending the last seven months in the United States. The 32-year-old himself made it known through his Instagram account.
But has Gilas reached out to him since he came back?
“Greg is working through his discussions with Ginebra. We respect that process so [we] are waiting until that is completed,” wrote Gilas Men’s program director Tab Baldwin in a text message to Tiebreaker Times, Wednesday.
Slaughter made headlines last February after announcing that he was taking a break “to be able to work on myself on all aspects” following the expiration of his contract with mother team Ginebra.
A month later, the Cebuano cager flew to the US, where he spent most of his time working on his game. While there, he signed with BeoBasket, the biggest basketball agency in the world.
In his announcement, Slaughter expressed his pride as the first Filipino player under BeoBasket, and even mentioned that he remains always willing to represent the national team.
“I am also extremely honored to be the first Filipino player in their (BeoBasket) roster. Wherever my journey takes me, I will always proudly represent the Philippines, especially our National Team,” he wrote.
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas has expressed before that Slaughter is very much welcome to be part of the national team program anew — a program where he himself is among its pioneers.
After all, Slaughter — who moved with his family to Cebu at age 19 — already qualifies as a local player for Gilas, with FIBA authorizing him to play without restrictions back in September of 2018.
Slaughter last played for Gilas in the 30th Southeast Asian Games, where he collected his second SEAG gold. There, he averaged 8.8 points on 65-percent shooting and 5.8 boards in four games played.
Slaughter’s inclusion in the Gilas squad for the upcoming ACQ window makes sense as the team lacks height. Most PBA players in the pool are now in the Clark bubble for the season restart.
The SBP does not yet know whom it will include for the November window, where it will face Group A leaders and long-time tormentors South Korea, as well as regional rival Thailand.
FIBA announced last September 18 that it will resume all continental cup qualifiers by November. All games will take place inside mini-bubbles, although there have been no announcements regarding host countries.
