Blatche returns to Gilas Pilipinas

By Adrian Stewart Co

Naturalized center Andray Blatche recently formalized his return to the Philippine men’s national basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, after he was named on the 14-man pool for their final 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifier games on February 21 and 24.

Blatche returns after serving a suspension for his involvement in a brawl with the Australian basketball team last year.

Gilas are currently fourth place in Group F, which means qualification is incumbent on how they compare to the fourth place team in Group E, Lebanon. The Philippines is currently trialing with a 5-5 record, while their Lebanese counterparts hold a 6-4 record. Their upcoming games against Qatar and Kazakhstan are must-wins to clinch qualification.

Other players returning to the Philippines’ roster include Christian Standhardinger, Roger Pogoy, Raymond Almazan, and Andy Mark Barroca./ASC, WDJ