There was excitement in the air once Greg Slaughter was cleared by the International Basketball Federation as a local for Gilas Pilipinas.
But the good news was doused with cold water, as the 7-foot big man could not recover quickly from a sprained left ankle, which made him miss the fourth window of the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
Still, the 30-year-old slotman went with the Philippine Men’s National Basketball Team to Iran. And seeing Gilas fall to Iran, 73-81, only fired him up.
“The country itself was interesting and it was fun to see the Iranians out there supporting their team,” reflected Slaughter. “But it was just our first game – we just got together. We were right there until the end.
“But watching that, I can’t wait for them to get here.”
Seeing this as motivation, Slaughter is working harder than ever to recover from this injury.
“I’m excited. Since I found out that my eligibility was cleared, I just can’t wait to get back out there,” said the five-year pro, who has yet to make his Gilas debut.
“I got my sights set on the next window. It’ll come quicker than you think, just got to get ready.”
Expectations will be high on Slaughter. And Filipinos all over are now excited for a possible triple-tower team up with him, 6-foot-10 June Mar Fajardo, and 6-foot-8 Christian Standhardinger.
“We are hoping that in the December window, both Greg and June Mar will finally be healthy to represent Gilas Pilipinas. Both games in December will be played in Manila,” said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio.
Slaughter hopes that they can reach their potential come the fifth window.
“It sounds exciting but we still need time to work on things and get together. We’ve never had a chance to play together,” Slaughter opined.
“We need time to jell and hopefully, we can reach the potential everyone sees in us.”
