In what should be a welcome development for the Gilas program, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Board of Governors in a meeting Thursday decided to allow each PBA team to lend as many players as they want to the national pool.
Previously, the league and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) had an agreement limiting each team to lending just one player, although other teams such as the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, NLEX Road Warriors and TNT KaTropa allowed at least two.
This restriction has hampered Gilas coach Chot Reyes in his ability to form the most competitive team possible, as some potential pool members could no longer be in the running for slots on the team as their respective PBA teammates were already in the pool. This development comes as Calvin Abueva and Raymond Almazan were dropped from the Gilas pool for the February window of the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers for excessive absences, while Terrence Romeo begged off due to injury, severely crippling the pool.
Reyes said when contacted by ESPN5 that he hasn't been officially informed yet of this new development, but added that "if true and we can practice as we plan, that would be great."