ALREADY one of the more popular Gilas Pilipinas players, do-it-all wingman Dwight Ramos could finally be making his long-awaited homecoming in the PBA next year.
“Not this year. So, we’ll see. Maybe next year,” Ramos said while flashing a charismatic smile when asked about the possibility of joining the pro league Draft last Monday during the Philippine five’s practice at the Upper Deck Sports Center in Ortigas, Pasig.
The 6-foot-4 Ramos is staying with Levanga Hokkaido in the Japan B.League—at least for one season.
That makes the 2026 PBA Draft a keenly-watched proceeding on whether or not Ramos will finally make the big jump to Asia’s pioneering league.
For now, Ramos is setting his sights on helping the Nationals to unscaled heights in the FIBA Asia Cup set Aug. 5 to 17 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“The schedule that we had the last time was really tough,” Ramos said. “It’s not really an excuse, but now we don’t have to deal with that.
“We just got to prepare and try to get back on the first game against Taiwan.”
The Filipino cagers are bracketed in Group D along with New Zealand, Chinese Taipei, and Iraq.
Although incomplete with only eight other dribblers showing up in practice, Gilas hit the ground running last Monday in the lead-up to the joust formerly known as the ABC Championship and FIBA Asia Championship amid the gripping tension between the host country’s neighbors and Middle East powers Iran and Israel.
The wards of coach Tim Cone will test the mettle of the Macau Black Bears in a tune-up game on July 28 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Despite preparation and time—or the lack it it—gnawing at his team, Ramos insisted they only need these things—work harder and be prepared.
“We’re playing catch-up,” he said. “But we just have to work harder and try to get there and be as well-prepared as we can.”
