MANILA, Philippines – Japeth Aguilar secured the last roster spot as Gilas Pilipinas battles Chinese Taipei on the road in the third and final window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers on Thursday, February 20.
The veteran big man missed the Nationals’ campaign in the recent Doha International Cup in Qatar due to a family matter but still made the 12-man lineup as he took the spot of young forward Mason Amos.
Although the oldest in the team, the 38-year-old Aguilar remains a mainstay for the national team, playing in all of the Philippines’ four previous games in the Asia Cup Qualifiers with averages of 3.5 points and 2.3 rebounds.
Joining Aguilar in the roster are his Barangay Ginebra teammates Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, and Jamie Malonzo, who will see action in FIBA competition for the first time since the first window in February last year.
Dwight Ramos, June Mar Fajardo, AJ Edu, Calvin Oftana, Chris Newsome, Carl Tamayo, Kevin Quiambao, and CJ Perez complete the lineup.
Troy Rosario, who joined the squad in Qatar but sat the games out due to a knee injury, also did not make the cut like Amos.
Unbeaten in Group B with a 4-0 card, the Philippines looks to reassert its mastery over Chinese Taipei after giving the Taiwanese a 53-point beating in the first window.
Game time is 7 pm at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium. – Rappler.com
