When Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes released the roster for the Japan game of the FIBA World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers, many were surprised to see Troy Rosario's name in the 12-man lineup.
Rosario missed the national team's previous outing against the Boomers because he failed to get full medical clearance from his doctors prior to Gilas' trip to Melbourne.
"Troy was supposed to go with us in Australia. He was really part of the 12-man lineup because we needed his size," Reyes said after Gilas secured an 89-84 win over Japan. "(But) as we were evaluating, the doctors felt it best to give him the extra days off and not get on the flight."
"The problem was really with his concussion so we didn't want to take any chances because Australia's a very physical team," he added.
But against the Akatsuki Five, Rosario made his presence felt as one of the players who keyed the rally that pushed Gilas back in the game after Japan built a 20-4 lead in the first period.
"We knew Japan was basically fighting for its life. We knew they were coming out strong," said Reyes. "We made sure that the second unit was prepared and in my mind I knew the second unit was going to get us back in the ball game."
And that's what they did. When the bench players came in, led by Kiefer Ravena and Rosario, Gilas erased the double-digit lead. During that crucial stretch, Rosario scored on two straight possessions to pull Gilas within a point at the end of the first period.
At the start of the second quarter, Rosario opened with a triple as the Philippine team continued to extend their cushion. Rosario ended the first half with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. That pretty much was his scoring total for the game, but those points proved to be the difference maker in the win over Japan.
"Troy, with that rest (he got), really came through very well," said Reyes.
But for Rosario, he was just doing what is expected of him, at the same time he wanted to reciprocate the trust Gilas put in him, even if he missed the first game of the second window.
The lineup inclusion and the 14-point performance was just proof of the extra work he put in while he was sidelined.
"When I returned to practice, they welcomed me with open arms. It's also because of the sacrifice I made since I got injured. I practiced twice a day. I practiced with TNT and with Gilas to get my conditioning back. I did extra work," Rosario said after the game.
"I'm just really grateful for the trust the coaching staff has in me. Even if I was coming off from an injury, they still included me in the lineup against Japan. I just repaid that trust."