GILAS Pilipinas is already at the Red Sea armed and ready to prove its real worth.
But the Philippine five’s preparations will not be possible without two unsung heroes in Ginebra players Troy Rosario and RJ Abarrientos.
Just ask National coach Tim Cone.
“They have been with us from the first moment that we started practicing, and I don’t know how we could have gone through these last two weeks without them,” Cone said of his two prized standouts with the Kings. “We were practicing with seven to eight guys through most of the week.
“Without Troy and RJ, we would have been down to six or five. So, they were really, really crucial to our preparations,” he added.
Rosario and Abarrientos showed up at the national team training pool’s practices since July 7 and boosted Gilas’ build-up for the FIBA Asia Cup set to get going tomorrow.
The duo’s presence made up for the absences of reigning eight-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel Beer and teammate CJ Perez, and TNT gunner Calvin Oftana due to the season-ending meet’s finals battle.
Rosario and Abarrientos were the final cuts in Cone’s 12-man roster for the continental tourney.
Despite nursing injuries, Fajardo (calf) and Oftana (sprained ankles) got medical clearance to join Gilas in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“We got Troy and RJ sitting on the wings, if necessary,” Cone said. “They were locked into what we do.”
Abarrientos, who just wrapped up his rookie season in the pro league, remained grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Gilas pool after also suiting up for the team under former coaches Tab Baldwin, Nenad Vucinic, and Chot Reyes.
“Saan mang tournament natin sa Gilas, I’m still available. Iyon lang, lahat ng mga bagay, malalaki man o maliliit na bagay, chine-cherish ko lang,” he said. “Ang sabi nga ni boss Al (Alfrancis Chua), ready ka lang. Ready lang kayo kahit sino sa inyo. Hindi naman ito abaout sa SMB, Ginebra, TNT, Meralco. Gilas ito. Para sa bayan natin ito.”
