Another member of the past Gilas iteration joined the current batch in preparation for the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers’ Quezon City window.
Francis “Lebron” Lopez was called up by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas to join the pool on Monday at the Moro Lorenzo Gym in Quezon City.
Gilas assistant coach Marc Pingris also joined in the warmups in what coach Chot Reyes called, “The old and the new.”
Lopez, 18, played for Gilas during the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers’ Clark window. The 6-foot-5 winger tallied eight points, five rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block in 10 minutes of play against Indonesia.
The former Ateneo High School standout was supposed to play for Overtime Elite but his visa was rejected by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
His agent SDS Sports Agency sued the USCIS early February. It is still unknown whether this was done with the consent of the Lopez family.
Lopez joins Juan Gomez de Liano, Dwight Ramos, Thirdy Ravena, Angelo Kouame, William Navarro, Jaydee Tungcab, and Tzaddy Rangel.
Completing the pool are Robert Bolick and the players from TNT Tropang Giga.
Gilas face South Korea on the 24th, India on the 25th, New Zealand on the 27th, and South Korea again on the 28th at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
