Kelly Williams feels honored to still be called up for Gilas Pilipinas at this point of his career following his inclusion to the talent pool for the sixth window of the FIBA World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers happening next week.
“I’m grateful that my talents and my abilities are being appreciated,” said the TNT vet, who turned 41 just last February 7. “Since I’ve been here, a lot of emphases is put on how old a player is despite how effective he is playing.
“I’ve seen it time and time again over the last couple of decades. To be appreciated at 41 and obviously to be able to still play at a high level, for myself personally, it’s nice to be appreciated,” he furthered.
Williams was added to the talent pool earlier this week as Coach Chot Reyes is beset with manpower problems, particularly in the frontcourt.
Gilas lost Ginebra star Japeth Aguilar due to an MCL sprain. and will also be without Kai Sotto and Carl Tamayo as the two youngsters are planning to acclimatize in Japan, where they will be playing in the B.League.
Angelo Kouame is questionable as he’s still recovering from malaria while Raymond Almazan is still seeking clearance from Meralco.
June Mar Fajardo, Kevin Quiambao, and Gilas Youth standout Mason Amos are the only remaining bigs in the pool, pushing the team to tap Williams’ services by throwing his name last Tuesday — the deadline for registration.
Should he crack the final 12-man lineup, it will be the second time in the ongoing Qualifiers that the cager from Detroit will play for Gilas. It could be remembered that he saw action in the February window last year.
(C) Paul Ryan Tan/FIBA Asia
“With Japeth and Kai out and obviously big Ange, Coach is kind of scrambling. Let’s see what happens,” he said. “But right now, it’s just the pool.”
Whatever happens, though, Williams said that he’ll be ready should Reyes need his services for Window 6, where they will be hosting Lebanon and Jordan on February 24 and 27, respectively, at the Philippine Arena.
“We’ll just see what happens. If that’s what he needs me to do, then I’ll be there. Until then, we’ll just see,” said the decorated forward, who first played for the Philippine team way back in 2007.
“It’s always a great honor to just be considered amongst the greatest in the Philippines. If I can be able to suit up alongside those guys and alongside those names, then awesome. But we’ll see.“
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