Gilas in high spirits as 12-man team holds first Jeddah practice

Gilas Pilipinas  is sparing no time in Saudi Arabia  for the 31st FIBA Asia Cup.

Upon arriving in the port city on the Red Sea early Thursday morning, the national team had a brief rest, but a first practice in the Middle East has been scheduled by coach Tim Cone right away.

“We’ll start practicing when we arrived,” said Cone after the 10-hour flight from Manila to Jeddah.

The light practice will see big man June Mar Fajardo rejoining the team after skipping the Gilas training camp in Pampanga and the friendly against the Macau Black Bears to take a rest after the grueling PBA Philippine Cup finals between San Miguel and TNT.

“I’d like to get some practice time with June Mar. It’s really important that we have to adjust to his presence,” said Cone in scheduling an outright practice just hours upon landing.

Calvin Oftana, given a last-minute clearance to play and join the team in the two-week showcase, will also return to the team, though his movement and minutes are expected to be managed as he’s yet fully recovered from the sprain he suffered on both ankles during the course of the playoffs.

Nonetheless, the entire team was in high spirits upon arriving in Saudi Arabia exactly a week before the quadrennial meet kicks off.

Aside from Fajardo and Oftana, the team is composed of Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo, Japeth Aguilar, CJ Perez, Chris Newsome, Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo, AJ Edu, and Kevin Quiambao. PBA.ph