Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes has added Petron Blaze swingman Marcio Lassiter and Rain Or Shine backcourt star
Paul Lee to the national pool from which the team for the FIBA World Cup which opens in late August will be selected.
Making a return to the roster are Greg Slaughter and Jared Dillinger who were with the pool that trained for the FIBA Asia
Championships last August in which the Gilas team finished runners-up to Iran and qualified for a place in the coveted World Cup after 40 long and agonizing years.
Reyes told us that he is "very happy" with the line-up he has because Lassiter "gives us a lot of flexibility because he can play the 1, 2 or 3 spots while Lee and the returning Dillinger with give me size on the backcourt."
The Manila Standard ran the story of the choice of Lassiter and Lee earlier this week even as Reyes announced than that the Gilas Pilipinas national team will begin practice for ther World Cup on Monday with two players who were not in the original pool being added to the roster.
National head coach Chot Reyes told us then he was hoping to add Petron Blaze swingman Marcio Lassiter and Rain or S hine backcourt star Paul Lee to the training pool while bringing back Jared Dillimger who was out initially because of an injury in a vehicular accident as well as Ginebra center Greg Slaughter.
Meantime, Reyes said he is waiting for the go signal from the PBA as to when the team camn begin practice on a reguilar basis
considerung the short time available before facing the big names in international basketball in the World Cup.
Reyes also told us that "its almost a certainty" that he will make some changes in the lineup f or the Asian Games in
Incheon, South Korea which will take place not longe after the World Cup.
He mentioned the name of the "Best Player" in the recently concluded All Filipino Conference, Mark Barroca of San Mig Coffee who had an amazing series and "perhaps another shooter" so as not to allow South Korea which will also be seeing action in the World Cup to feel comfortable thinking the Philippines will field the same team.
Several followers of the fortunes of Gilas Pilipinas who came out in their thousands to support the team in the eleven memorable and emotional days in August have mentioned that the PBA should appreciate the fact that players like Marc Pingris, shooting star Jeff Chan, big men Junmar Fajardo and Japeth Aguilar had benefited substantially from their stint with Gilas Pilipinas.
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