KUALA LUMPUR – The Gilas cadet squad, featuring six young PBA players, takes on Thailand and its much-ballyhooed naturalized recruit Tyler Lamb at the start of the 29th SEA Games men’s basketball competition at the MABA Gymnasium here Sunday.
TNT KaTropa’s Troy Rosario and Meralco’s Baser Amer are SEAG veterans leading the country’s bid for a 12th straight crown in the SEAG event most dearest to the Filipino nation.
Ginebra’s Kevin Ferrer, San Miguel’s Von Pessumal and another Meralco player Mike Tolomia are the other young PBA players in the lineup beefed by Fil-German forward Christian Standhardinger, Bobby Ray Parks, Kiefer Ravena, Almond Vosotros, Reymar Jose and Bobby Ray Parks.
Blackwater’s Mac Belo is being eyed to take the place of Alaska Milk’s Carl Bryan Cruz who’s still with the elite Gilas team competing in the FIBA Asia Cup in Beirut.
“Lineup change is allowed in any FIBA tourney. So we’re optimistic Belo will be allowed to take over from Cruz,” said SBP deputy executive director Bernie Atienza.
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The Filipinos and the Thais square off at 9:30 p.m., the closing game in a heavy seven-game bill that also features Perlas Pilipinas against Singapore in women’s action at 7:15 p.m.
The Philippines and Thailand clash in what could well be an early preview of the gold-medal game at the end of the weeklong basketball competition on Aug. 26.
The Thais have been a consistent podium finisher in the SEA Games, having won seven silver medals and the same number of bronze in 18 SEAG basketball competitions.
They pushed the Marcus Douthit-led Gilas cadet team to the limit in their semifinal showdown in Singapore in 2015, barely losing by five at 80-75.
The Thais also competed well in the recent SEABA Championship at the Smart Araneta Coliseum where they wound up third behind the Gilas elite team and the Indonesian squad bannered by naturalized player Jamarr Andre Johnson.
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They have high hopes in doing better here as they finally compete with their own naturalized player in Lamb, a 6-foot-5 combo player who played college ball at UCLA and with Long Beach State.
Gilas coach Jong Uichico, however, is confident they have trained well enough to handle Lamb, the whole Thai team and the rest of their rivals here.
