The journey to glory starts as Gilas Pilipinas opens its training camp in preparation for the FIBA Basketball World Cup that the country will host from 25 August to 10 September.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel stars Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo and Japeth Aguilar are expected to show up as well as Tim Cone, who will be assisting Gilas head coach Chot Reyes in the prestigious 32-nation tournament.
Save for Cone, the three Ginebra stars were not part of the Gilas contingent that regained the gold medal in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh last month.
The 6-foot-9 Aguilar had just recovered from a knee injury while Thompson and Malonzo begged off due to personal reasons, giving them ample time to rest and recover for the World Cup training that starts today at the Meralco Gym in Pasig City.
Cone said all of them, together with naturalized player Justin Brownlee, will be joining the first day of training, which will be a closed-door session.
“I’ll be there. Scottie, Jamie and Japeth will be there, too, while Justin will follow (in the coming days),” Cone said in a Viber message to Daily Tribune.
‘I’ll be watching San Miguel’s game.’
But June Mar Fajardo, who is still recovering from a medial collateral ligament injury that deprived him of joining Gilas in the SEA Games, won’t be able to join the practice.
“I’ll be watching San Miguel’s game,” Fajardo said, referring to the Beermen’s 7:30 p.m. game against Rain or Shine in the Philippine Basketball Association On Tour at the Ynares Arena in Pasig.
He also cited another reason on why he won’t be able to join the practice.
“I’m still waiting for the clearance from the doctors,” Fajardo added.
“Maybe, next week, I’ll be able to join.”
Fajardo said he had just restarted joining San Miguel’s five-on-five light drills but is not yet allowed for heavy scrimmages.
On the contrary, Chris Newsome had confirmed his commitment to rejoin the pool, even as Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser has made himself available as a practice player as he is not eligible to play as a local in the World Cup and other FIBA-sanctioned events.
But if there’s one thing Gilas are looking forward to, it is the inclusion of Filipino-Cypriot AJ Edu.
The former Toledo College player arrived a few days ago and made known his intention to be part of the Gilas pool.
But whether Edu can immediately join the training remains to be seen as he just tweaked his ankle while training in Brisbane, Australia.
Cone, however, is excited to see the potential of this 23-year-old, former national youth standout.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him practice,” Cone added.
