PBA commissioner Willie Marcial has made it known that the entire league roster is ready to sub in for the Gilas Pilipinas players suspended by FIBA following their brawl with the Australia Boomers early this July.
“We’ll not lack players. All 12 PBA players will continue to support the national team,” Marcial told Nelson Beltran of the Philippine Star, moments after the governing body handed out the sanctions against both countries.
The league chief had also mentioned the likes of LA Tenorio, Paul Lee, Alex Cabagnot, Arwind Santos, Vic Manuel, Raymond Almazan, Beau Belga and Christian Standhardinger as possible replacements to those suspended.
Tenorio, Lee, Almazan, Belga, and Standhardinger have all become part of the Gilas program, while Santos’ national team involvements traces back to 2009 — when he suited up for the Yeng Guiao-mentored Powerade Team Pilipinas.
“We’re making all the PBA players available for Gilas. Pero syempre, kailangan gusto rin ng player mismo,” said Marcial.
In the report, the likes of Greg Slaughter and Marcio Lassiter — both of which considered to be pioneers of the Gilas program — have also been mentioned to Marcial. However, the latter admitted that they might face eligibility issues.
“They are Fil-Ams but considered as naturalized under FIBA rules,” he said, noting that Slaughter and Lassiter would fall under the same case of the Filipino-German Standhardinger, who is identified by the global federation as naturalized.
