It was just last Sunday when Gilas Pilipinas finally had its complete roster practicing together.
During that day, the skilled big man Kai Sotto and the do-it-all guard Scottie Thompson finally joined the 14 other players in the pool.
And now, they are racing against time to be in competitive shape in order to be part of the national team’s final 12 for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
“We are finally complete with 16 guys in practice.
“However, they are not there yet, obviously coming off a break. Scottie seems to be okay, but I’m pretty sure that they are not yet in 100-percent basketball competitive shape. We have 10 days to make up for that. I don’t know if that’s enough,” said Gilas head coach Chot Reyes during the ‘relaunch’ of Max’s “Puso to the Max” campaign on Tuesday.
(C) PBA Images
Thompson, the ace point guard of Gilas, suffered a metacarpal fracture on his right hand during Gilas’ training camp in Kaunas.
Meanwhile, Sotto had been nursing a back injury he sustained during Orlando’s final game in the NBA Summer League on July 17.
Gilas will still have tune-up games against Côte d’Ivoire, Montenegro, and Mexico which will determine who will make the final 12.
“I know a lot of people would have wanted us to have an earlier announcement, but it’s just two days ago that we were completed.
“Very, very hard and I’m dreading it. It’s a big source of stress for me because we have to make some difficult decisions. Most of the guys have been with us for the last couple of months, always present, and never heard a word of complaint from them. But we have to make very difficult decisions,” said Reyes.
