As it stands, Gilas Pilipinas new cadet team has Isaac Go, Rey Suerte, Allyn Bulanadi and twins Mike and Matt Nieto.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas President Al Panlilio also confirmed that the national team pretty much added Thirdy Ravena and Jaydee Tungcab to the fold.

Gilas Pilipinas is also looking to add ceiling with now foreign-based prospects Kai Sotto and AJ Edu soon enough.

A third beanpole in the mix is 16-year old 7-footer Sage Tolentino out of Hawaii. “Kai Sotto and AJ Edu. I’m hearing the past few days si Sage Tolentino. We reached out to him to see his interest,” Panlilio said.

“Imagine if you have him and Kai, when was the last time we had two Filipinos over seven-feet in one team. Sage I think is just sixteen. We have to reach out to him,” he added.

After the dismal finish in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Gilas is looking to go all-out for the 2023 edition, which the country will co-host with Japan and Indonesia.

The team that will play three years from now sounds like it’s going to be the tallest Philippine team ever too with the names being thrown around.

“In 2023, that doesn’t mean na we don’t tap PBA players. Maybe we will. Two or three names. How can you not consider a June Mar Fajardo? That time, 31 pa lang siya. That’s the peak of his career. How could you not consider a multiple-time MVP of this league,” Panlilio said.

“Right now, it’s just the five plus Thirdy and Tungcab [new pool additions]. There’s a big list of course on who we can potentially add to the future. Talk about Kobe and the Gomez de Liano brothers. These are names that can be part of the pool moving forward,” he added. (sports.abs-cbn.com)