Sweet 16 for Gilas?

There is reason for Gilas head coach Tim Cone to stick to a compact pool of 12. It makes for familiarity and a red alert understanding that when Cone calls for a regroup, everyone is on standby.

But for the recent FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Cone extended the pool to 14, bringing in Japeth Aguilar and Mason Amos with the unexpected injuries to AJ Edu and Jamie Malonzo. When Scottie Thompson went down with a back issue, Cone attempted to find a replacement as a 12th man but there was little time to work on a late sub. RR Pogoy joined the pool at Inspire before the trip to Europe but couldn’t leave because the lead time to secure a Shenzhen visa was too short. Jordan Heading was in Australia to attend to a family commitment. LA Tenorio was also considered but had an existing agreement to join a Gilas Legends tour in Canada. In the end, Cone decided to go to battle with an 11-man roster.

During the OQT, Kai Sotto hurt his rib cage when burly Georgia 250-pound center Goga Bitadze fell on him as he lay flat on his back. Georgia’s naturalized player Joe Thomasson lunged at Sotto in mid-air, causing him to lose his balance and drop to the ground. Thomasson was called for an unsportsmanlike foul. But the damage was done by Bitadze who threw his entire body weight on Sotto. It happened in the second quarter and Sotto went to the bench, never to report back in the contest. Sotto still felt pain the next day and sat out Gilas’ semifinal outing against Brazil.

Cone rotated nine players in the Brazil game and sorely missed Sotto as June Mar Fajardo, Japeth Aguilar and emergency center Carl Tamayo alternated in the middle. Another big in the lineup would’ve eased the pressure on Fajardo and allowed Tamayo to play three or four where he is most effective. No doubt, if Cone’s original 12 had played, the outcome could’ve been different.

Injuries are now par for the course in any competition. Kawhi Leonard, for instance, begged off from playing for the US in the Paris Olympics because of a nagging right knee problem. Kristaps Porzingis sat out the OQT in his home country and Latvia failed to secure a Paris ticket. Porzingis underwent surgery to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon a week before the OQT. To cover for any eventuality, Cone is now considering expanding the Gilas pool although nothing is set in stone. He’d still prefer a 12-man pool. But under the circumstances, it may be realistic and practical to increase the pool to perhaps, 16.

If the pool is expanded to Sweet 16, who could be candidates? Assuming Aguilar and Amos remain, two slots will be available. A pure shooter and a versatile big man would be ideal. Pogoy or Heading could be the pure shooter while the big man could be Justine Baltazar or Justin Arana or Ian Sangalang. Rhenz Abando could be a wildcard because of his athleticism, speed and ability to play multiple positions. Whatever or however Cone decides, it will be for the country’s best interest.