CALAMBA, LAGUNA — Fifteen players were present during the first official practice of the Gilas Pilipinas team that will compete in the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, Friday at Inspire Sports Academy.
On hand were Isaac Go, the Nieto twins, Rey Suerte, Allyn Bulanadi, Jaydee Tungcab, the Gomez de Liaño brothers, Dwight Ramos, Justine Baltazar, Dave Ildefonso, Angelo Kouame, William Navarro, Calvin Oftana, and Kemark Carino.
However, one missing player from the group photo was Kobe Paras.
Paras, who stands at 6-foot-6, is currently experiencing dental problems. The 23-year-old will arrive at Inspire on Saturday, according to team insiders.
The session was handled by Gilas’ coaching staff of Jong Uichico, Tab Baldwin, Boyet Fernandez, Alton Lister, Sandro Soriano, and Andrei Tolentino.
The team only received clearance from the Interagency Task Force on Friday morning. Its first practice takes place 13 days before Gilas’ game against Thailand.
Gilas face South Korea on the 28th, then Thailand again on the 30th inside a bubble in Manama, Bahrain.
The team leaves the country on November 19.
