Fajardo, Slaughter, Castro Gilas-bound?

MANILA, Philippines - June Mar Fajardo, Greg Slaughter and Jayson Castro are among the PBA stars likely to be considered as coach Tab Baldwin draws up the next Gilas Pilipinas pool for the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in Wuhan, China. 

Baldwin will meet with the SBP (Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas) nominating and selection committee to formulate the new national team program.

“He’s flying home in January. It’s better if he could lay down something before he leaves,” said PBA board chairman Patrick Gregorio, a member of the SBP special committee chaired by SBP vice chairman Ricky Vargas.

Most probably, the group will first form Baldwin’s coaching staff before drawing the training pool.

Baldwin may have practically the same support group that coach Chot Reyes had in his time at the Gilas helm. Jong Uichico could well still be the chief assistant coach.

Baldwin has said he wants the help of the selection committee in selecting players for the pool.

“We’re working together,” he said. “This is a very important process. I don’t want to do this alone.”

PBA commissioner Chito Salud, PBA vice chairman Robert Non and SBP executive director Sonny Barrios are the other members of the committee.

Gilas’ road map to the Asian meet will include a stop in Taipei for a return stint in the Jones Cup after a two-year absence.

“ED (executive director) Sonny Barrios has confirmed Gilas’ participation in the Jones Cup, and the organizers have replied, happy to accommodate us,” said Gregorio.

The relationship between the Filipinos and the Taiwanese soured a bit following the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman in disputed waters off Batanes in 2012.

Jones Cup organizers withdrew their invitation to Gilas Pilipinas in their 2012 event. The following year, Gilas declined the invite and instead put up a training camp in Miami before flying to Europe for the World Cup.

“Gilas Pilipinas is joining the Jones Cup this year upon the instruction of SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan,” said Gregorio.

The Jones Cup is slated Aug. 29 to Sept. 6 followed by the FIBA Asia Championship Sept. 23 to Oct. 3.

In its last Jones Cup stint, Gilas Pilipinas humbled the US team in the final day of the single-round-robin competition to win the championship.

Meanwhile, Fajardo, now the league’s most dominant big man, nailed his second Accel-PBA Press Corps. Player of the Week for the Period of Dec. 23-28 after steering the San Miguel Beermen to a surprise sweep of the Talk n Text side and into the finals of the PBA Philippine Cup.

The 6-10 former University of Cebu standout dropped 18 points and nine rebounds and drew solid backup from Arwind Santos and Alex Cabagnot as the Beermen squeaked past the Tropang Texters, 96-95 last Dec. 23 to seize a 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven series.

But after a three-day respite, a fresher Fajardo emerged strong from the get-go, outmuscling the Tropang Texters all game-long to finish with 28 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and two blocks as the Beermen completed a four-game sweep via their 100-87 series-clinching win.

Fajardo averaged 23 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the team’s last two games of their semis series.

The 25-year-old center from Pinamungahan, Cebu beat Alaska’s Cyrus Baguio and Calvin Abueva for the weekly citation.