PARKS, BOLICK LEAD SEAG CAST

MANILA, Philippines — SBP president Ricky Vargas confirmed yesterday the Philippines’ 12-man roster for the coming Bangkok SEA Games “after a tedious back and forth due to initially unclear and constantly changing rules in player eligibility.” Vargas said the lineup has been vetted and undergone pre-approvals.

Gilas coach Norman Black started practice at the Moro Lorenzo Gym on the Ateneo campus, Loyola Heights, last Monday and it will be once-a-day sessions until the team leaves for Bangkok on Dec. 11. Cambodia brought in six “overnight” foreign-born citizens to bag silver at the previous SEA Games but with the ban on naturalized players, begged off from participating in this edition. The seven countries competing in 5x5 men’s basketball are Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The Philippines is bracketed with Malaysia and Vietnam in Group A where the top finisher in the preliminary round gains an outright ticket to the semifinals.

In Black’s roster are Ray Parks, Matthew Wright, Thirdy Ravena, Jamie Malonzo, Robert Bolick, Von Pessumal, Veejay Pre, Abu Tratter, Dalph Panopio, Ced Manzano, Justin Chua and Allen Liwag. Players may be substituted for medical reasons up to the technical meeting among team managers the day before games begin. “We’ll have 12 days of practice before our first game against Malaysia on Dec. 14,” said Black. “We play Vietnam on Dec. 15. Dec. 16 and 17 are off days, assuming we sweep the eliminations. Semifinals will be on Dec. 18 and final on Dec. 19.”

Vargas extended his deepest appreciation to the players for “dropping everything” to compete for Gilas. “We thank our partners from the PBA, UAAP and NCAA and our friends from the Japanese B-League for allowing their players to compete for flag and country,” said Vargas. “The SBP wishes our basketball teams and the entire Philippine contingent all the best in Thailand. Go for gold.”

Thai organizers red-flagged Justin Brownlee, Michael Phillips and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser out of the Gilas roster. Remy Martin was yellow-flagged. “We don’t know what yellow-flagged means but we’re not waiting to hear from the organizers and we’re moving ahead,” said Black. Daniel Marcelo and Aldous Torculas of San Beda, Kymani Ladi and Shawn Tuano of Ateneo and Kirby Mongcopa of FEU were recruited to join practices. “Thanks to these college guys for showing up,” said Black. “They’re a big help to getting us ready for Bangkok.”

2025-12-04T16:31:27Z