A lot has changed since Justine Baltazar was last called up for Gilas Pilipinas four years ago.
Back then, the 6-foot-9 Kapampangan was entering his final year at De La Salle University, and the Gilas roster was full of young talents under the watchful eye of Tab Baldwin.
Fast forward to today, Baltazar has established himself as one of the top centers in the local basketball scene. At 29, he is a two-time MPBL champion and Most Valuable Player, a top pick in the PBA Draft, and a cornerstone of Converge in the PBA.
“Halos kuya ko yung mga nandito na, mga beterano na,” he shared with Tiebreaker Times.
“Malaking bagay din sa akin na may nag-ga-guide sa akin dito, sila Kuya June Mar tapos yung mga dati kong teammates, sina RJ Abarrientos, CJ Oftana, at Carl Tamayo.”
Baltazar’s call-up this time was somewhat unexpected. When Quentin Millora-Brown ran into a contract standstill with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas early last week, the federation turned to Baltazar.
Without hesitation, he accepted the opportunity.
Photo from FIBA.basketball
“Hindi na ako nagdalawang-isip. Nagpaalam ako sa boss ko na gusto kong makapag-training ulit dito sa Gilas. ‘Yun naman, pinayagan ako ng management at boss namin sa Converge,” he said.
The bond he shared with his Gilas batchmates from 2021, however, never faded.
“Kita mo naman na magkakalaban kami sa PBA, pero yung samahan namin dati, nandito pa rin,” he expressed.
“Sobrang saya na nakasama ko sila dito.”
Gilas faces tough challenges ahead in the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers, hosting New Zealand on Thursday and Australia on Sunday. While size will be crucial for those games, Baltazar is focused less on the final roster and more on contributing to the team.
“Sobrang happy ako na nasama ako sa pool. And then, yun nga lang, yung trabaho talaga. Gusto ko talagang makabalik dito sa Gilas at makatulong sa team. Sa pool, medyo marami pa kami. Twelve lang ang makakalaro dito,” he said.
“Kung ano man ang makakaya ko sa team, tutulungan ko lang sila.”
With reports by Icko de Guzman
