Gilas Pilipinas welcomes back 7-foot-3 center Kai Sotto, who has been named to the Final 12 roster for the upcoming qualification window alongside core players Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo, and Kevin Quiambao.
With naturalized player Justin Brownlee ruled out, head coach Tim Cone plans to rely heavily on Ramos to step up as the primary leader on the court.
Cone will also lean more on Tamayo and Quiambao, both expected to handle larger minutes to cover the production left by Brownlee’s absence.
Sotto will form a formidable frontline alongside June Mar Fajardo and AJ Edu. The forward spots are completed by Troy Rosario and Justin Baltazar.
The guard rotation sees the return of Scottie Thompson and CJ Perez, who both missed the previous window. Joining them in the backcourt are Chris Newsome and Juan Gomez de Liaño, who delivered an impressive performance against New Zealand during the first round.
Meanwhile, guard R-Jay Abarrientos—who stepped up in Thompson’s absence last window—did not make the final lineup. Justin Arana, who was called up as a late pool addition, was also left out.
Gilas Pilipinas aims to bolster its 2-4 group record as it targets a vital victory against Jordan.