Over the past few months, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas has been working on getting FIBA-eligible Filipinos-born abroad to come back home and be part of Gilas’ buildup for the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
And on Thursday, the federation was able to secure the commitment of 16-year-old prospect Caelum Harris.
“I am excited to announce that I have been invited to join the Gilas Philippines men’s national team under the mentorship of Coach Chot Reyes and I have accepted,” he announced.
The 6-foot-7 winger will be arriving in the country next month. He is expected to lead Gilas Youth in the Under-16 and Under-18 tournaments in the next three years.
Besides the youth tournaments, Harris will also be part of Gilas Men’s pool starting with the 31st Southeast Asian Games in May.
For Harris, it’s a challenge he embraces.
“This is a huge honor for me but also for my family here in the States and in Cebu,” he said.
“I will make you proud Philippines and I will see you soon.”
Expectations will be high for Harris as he is seen as a pillar of the program along with Kai Sotto.
Photo from FIBA.basketball
For his part, multiple sources closely monitoring the situation have told Tiebreaker Times that the 7-foot-3 wunderkind is committed to playing in the third window of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in June, the FIBA Asia Cup in July, and the 2022 Asian Games in August.
With Sotto and Harris, the road to the 2023 World Cup is looking to be a smooth ride for Gilas Pilipinas.
