THE Fiba Asia Champions Cup kicks off on Friday in China but national team coach Chot Reyes still has to form a competitive team for the tournament China is hosting in Chenzhou in Hunan.
“We’re waiting, we’re still trying to fit the guys who are trying out,” said Reyes after the team beat NLEX-SCTEX, 95-83, in a practice game on Saturday night.
The team’s victims are also training for the Merlion which opens on Wednesday in Singapore. It was only the tune up game ahead of the Champions Cup, where they will face Kazakhstan in the opener on Friday.
Reyes’s picks have commitments to their clubs in the Philippine Basketball Association and he said is hoping GlobalPort and Alaska would release Terrence Romeo and Carl Bryan Cruz, respectively.
The team revolves around nine players led by 7-foot-1 import Isaiah Austin and backed by Kiefer Ravena, Jeron Teng, Jett Manuel, Francis Tamsi, Norbert Torres, Raymar Jose, LA Revilla and Rod Ebondo.
PBA D-League players Achie Iñigo, Gab Banal and Andre Paras are trying out for the team.
“Maybe we will announce the final lineup before we leave the country. We just have to rely on our experience,” Reyes said.
Also competing in China are Lebanon, Chinese Taipei, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, India, Thailand, Kazakhstan and Palestine.
Andray Blatche, Gilas Pilipinas’s former naturalized player, would be playing for defending champion China Kashgar in Hunan.