BANGKOK—Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino has an unwavering faith in Gilas Pilipinas’ ability to defend its Southeast Asian Games basketball crown even without a naturalized player.
“Gilas can win the title again — and I believe that,” Tolentino told reporters on Monday after the SEA Games Council meeting here at the Grand Four Wings Hotel. “It is still painful not to see some of our players, but Gilas Pilipinas can still do it. They will still be the champion.”
The Philippines will start its title-retention bid against Malaysia on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. in Pool A at the Nimibutr Stadium, followed by the game against Vietnam on Monday at same venue and time.
Organizers ruled that naturalized players, as well as any other player, who obtained the relevant passport after age 16 are not eligible to play. This meant that the Philippines’ naturalized player in Justin Brownlee, as well as TNT Tropang Giga’s 6-foot-7 Brandon Rosser-Ganuelas, and De La Salle University’s Michael Philips, are barred from being included in the Gilas roster.
Instead, Gilas Pilipinas coach Norman Black is fielding an “all-Filipino” lineup composed of Thirdy Ravena, Matthew Wright, Bobby Ray Parks Jr., Jamie Malonzo, Von Pessumal, Robert Bolick, Justin Chua, Dalph Panopio, Abu Tratter, Saint Benilde’s Allen Bryant Liwag, Far Eastern University’s Veejay Pre, and Adamson University’s Cedrick Manzano.
The Philippine team will fly to Bangkok on Thursday from Manila.
Tolentino also said that they still don’t have an idea on the composition of Pool A teams Malaysia, and Vietnam and Pool B squads Indonesia, Singapore, Myanmar, and host Thailand.
After losing the basketball crown to Indonesia during the Hanoi SEA Games in 2022, the Philippines regained the title the following year in the Cambodia games against the hosts, who fielded multiple naturalized players.
Brownlee’s massive effort of 23 points and seven rebounds steered the Philippines to an 80-69 gold medal-clinching win against the Cambodians.
