The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas unveiled the initial list of 60 players submitted to the Philippine Olympic Committee Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee last March on Tuesday.
To say the least, it was a list of random names that included multiple PBA players, all the naturalized Filipinos, overseas imports, and a couple of naturalized prospects.
Among the 60 players listed were Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Onyeka Okongwu. Yes, Okongwu, the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
However, Hollis-Jefferson ended up with Jordan.
The list also included Jordan Clarkson, Angelo Kouame, and Andray Blatche, but Clarkson was already in the US preparing for the upcoming NBA season with Utah.
UAAP players on the list included Adamson’s Jerom Lastimosa, La Salle’s Benjamin and Mike Phillips, and Kevin Quiambao, as well as Ateneo’s Mason Amos, Kai Ballungay, Gab Gomez, and Chris Koon.
Surprisingly, Dalph Panopio, Alex Konov, and Remy Martin were also on the list.
Overseas imports Dwight Ramos, Bobby Ray Parks Jr., Kiefer and Thirdy Ravena, Kai Sotto, AJ Edu, SJ Belangel, RJ Abarrientos, and Rhenz Abando couldn’t secure releases from their mother teams due to the Asiad not being a FIBA-sanctioned event.
Completing the list of 60 were Converge’s Mike Nieto and Deschon Winston; Ginebra’s Japeth Aguilar, Justin Brownlee, Jeremiah Gray, Jamie Malonzo, Stanley Pringle, Christian Standhardinger, and Scottie Thompson; Northport’s Joshua Munzon and Arvin Tolentino; Meralco’s Raymond Almazan, Chris Banchero, Aaron Black, and Chris Newsome; NLEX’s Kevin Alas, Sean Anthony, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, and Matt Nieto; San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo, Marcio Lassiter, CJ Perez, Chris Ross, Terrence Romeo, and Mo Tautuaa; TNT’s JP Erram, Calvin Oftana, Roger Pogoy, and Mikey Williams; Magnolia’s Jerrick Ahanmisi, Mark Barroca, and Abu Tratter.
In a revelation, the organizing committee asked the SBP and the POC to trim the list down to 37 players who will compose the final pool last May.
The final list included Abando, the Phillips brothers, Tolentino, Gray, Black, Lastimosa, Parks, Ross, Winston, Perez, Malonzo, Alas, Erram, Abarrientos, Belangel, Clarkson, Standhardinger, Edu, Kouame, the Ravena brothers, Pogoy, Fajardo, Newsome, Oftana, Rosser, Brownlee, Aguilar, Thompson, Ramos, Lassiter, and Quiambao.
(C) FIBA.basketball
Additionally, overseas imports Carl Tamayo, Juan Gomez de Liano, and Jordan Heading were added to the list.
Notably, Calvin Abueva and Jason Perkins were not part of the initial list of 60, while Romeo, Pringle, and Tautuaa were excluded from the final list of 37.
Gray, Lastimosa, Malonzo, Erram, Standhardinger, Rosser, and Pogoy are all nursing injuries, making them unavailable for the continental meet, which begins on September 23.
