Abueva, Almazan out of Gilas’ February WCQ pool

FILE: Coach Chot Reyes (Photo: Chot Reyes/Facebook)

MANILA — For missing three straight practices, Coach Chot Reyes decided to cut Calvin Abueva and Raymond Almazan from the Gilas Pilipinas pool for the second window of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers on February 22 and 25.

“It is already our third practice at hindi pa sila nagpapakita, so it is simply a matter of disinterest,” Reyes, who returned to preside the weekly training session at the Meralco Gym in Pasig on Monday night after missing the previous week, explained the development to the media. “I guess they are not interested and we have to move on, we can’t wait for those guys.”

He clarified, however, that the other absentees, Matt Wright, Allein Maliksi, and Japeth Aguilar, were excused.

“Allein is attending a wedding in Australia and Japeth really had a previous function,” Reyes added.

Team Manager Butch Antonio later revealed in a separate interview that Wright called in sick.

Antonio later bared that Abueva has a hamstring injury, although he conspicuously played in Alaska’s Sunday night game against Ginebra.

On the other hand, Almazan did not give any reason about his absence in the last two practices, but Antonio said, “Sinabi sa akin kaninathat he was trying to call me. I didn’t get naman any call.”