The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas announced on Wednesday afternoon the 12 players who will represent Philippines in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 that kicks off on Friday.
There were no surprises in the final Gilas Pilipinas roster, which is composed of the following:
Rhenz Abando
Japeth Aguilar
Jordan Clarkson
AJ Edu
June Mar Fajardo
Jamie Malonzo
CJ Perez
RR Pogoy
Dwight Ramos
Kiefer Ravena
Kai Sotto
Scottie Thompson
It will be the third consecutive World Cup for Fajardo and Aguilar, the most by any Filipino basketball player in the tournament's history. It's the second for Pogoy, Ravena and Perez.
The unlucky omissions were Chris Newsome, Calvin Oftana, Bobby Ray Parks Jr. and Thirdy Ravena.
Gilas opens its campaign in Group A on Friday against the Dominican Republic at 8 p.m. at the Philippine Arena.
Some trivia on the team:
Iba na ang matangkad
With an average height of roughly 6-foot-5, this is perhaps the tallest Philippine team roster ever assembled.
No player is officially listed below 6-feet (Kiefer Ravena is the shortest at just a shade above 6-0). Additionally, at 7-3, Sotto is now the tallest Filipino ever to play at the World Cup.
Diverse backgrounds
Not counting the Philippine teams from the 1970s and 1950s, a record six players on the roster are currently not in the PBA.
Edu, Ramos, Ravena, and Sotto are signed with Japan pro clubs, Abando recently campaigned in the Korean league, while Clarkson is the first current NBA player to suit up for Gilas.
Youngest and oldest
At 21 years and three months old, Sotto is the youngest Filipino player at the World Cup since Joy Carpio saw action in the 1978 edition aged 20 years and four months.
At 33 years and nine months old, Fajardo is the oldest since Tembong Melencio suited up in 1974 aged 34 years and ten months.
Second time around
Chot Reyes is now the first Filipino to coach twice in the FIBA World Cup, having first called the shots for Gilas in 2014.
MVP! MVP! MVP!
This Gilas team, like its 2014 counterpart, has two players who have either been named PBA MVP or would go on to win MVP: Scottie Thompson and June Mar Fajardo.
The 2014 team had a former MVP (Jimmy Alapag) and a future MVP (Fajardo).
But the 1974 team trumps them both. That team, which finished 13th, was composed of purely amateurs and had in its roster four players who would eventually win MVP: Bogs Adornado, Sonny Jaworski, Mon Fernandez and Abet Guidaben.