CEBUANO big man Greg Slaughter was not included in Team Pilipinas’ 12-man roster for the Fiba Asia World Cup qualifiers game versus Asian powerhouse, Iran, in Tehran today.
The former University of the Visayas standout said that his injured ankle is the reason why he was held out by head coach Yeng Guiao in a game that needed his presence inside especially with the hulking Hamed Hadadi playing for the other side.
“I’m so honored and humbled to be part of the national team again. As much as I wanted to play, unfortunately my ankle is still swollen from our last game. We have decided to let it fully heal before stepping back on the court, since we believe that we are in this for the long haul now that my eligibility is cleared,” said the 7 footer.
Christian Standhardinger is set to serve as the team’s naturalized player as they seek to improve on their 3-2 (win-loss) record in the qualifiers.
Making the cut were Scottie Thompson, Alex Cabagnot and Ian Sangalang, all of whom are playing for the national team for the first time. Making a return to Team Pilipinas is sharpshooter Marcio Lassiter. The rest of the squad is comprised of Paul Lee, Gabe Norwood, Raymond Almazan, Beau Belga, Asi Taulava, JP Erram and Allein Maliksi.