TNT players to stack Gilas’ Asian Games team

National team veterans Jayson Castro, Terrence Romeo, RR Pogoy, and Troy Rosario will lead the way for Gilas’ Asiad roster. (Photo: TNT KaTropa/Facebook)

MANILA — The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has decided to bring in eight TNT Katropa players to the Gilas Pilipinas lineup that will play in the Asian Games from August 18-31 in Indonesia.

National team veterans Jayson Castro, Terrence Romeo, RR Pogoy, and Troy Rosario will lead the way for Gilas’ Asiad roster.

Joining them are national team returnees Kelly Williams, Jericho Cruz, and RR Garcia; and first-time Gilas call-up Don Trollano.

Four players will be named to the lineup, and it will likely be composed of one Alaska player — either Calvin Abueva or Carl Cruz — and three members of the Gilas Cadets.

“In the end, the board reached a consensus to send a core group from one team. With that, we’ll deal only with the schedule of that team. The board decided it’s the most competitive among all the selections we looked at,” POC president Ricky Vargas, also the chairman of the PBA board of governors representing the KaTropa, explained the decision in a press conference right after an emergency board meeting at the league office in Quezon City.

This is not the first time the Philippines will send the core of a single PBA team to the Asiad as San Miguel sent the key players from its 1994 Philippine Cup champion team to Hiroshima for the said meet with Magnolia’s Alvin Patrimonio, Jerry Codiñera, and Rey Evangelista; and Alaska’s Johnny Abarrientos backstopping the squad.