RR Pogoy of Talisay City, Cebu is part of the Gilas Pilipinas 19-man pool for the World Cup. contributed photo | PBA Images
Cebu City, Philippines—Although Cebuano wingman Roger Ray Pogoy has been named to the national pool for the Gilas Pilipinas basketball team several times already, he admits that he still gets butterflies in his stomach every time his name is announced as part of the pool.
This time around, the pride of Talisay City, Cebu has been included in the Gilas’ 19-man pool for the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China and he says he remains as nervous as ever.
“To be completely honest with you, I still get really nervous every time, thinking whether or not I will be included into the pool for Gilas Pilipinas,” said Pogoy, who is currently averaging 16.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.7 steals for TNT in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Joining Pogoy in the pool are fellow Cebuano June Mar Fajardo, Marcio Lassiter, Japeth Aguilar, Troy Rosario, Mark Barroca, Paul Lee, Poy Erram, Beau Belga, Raymund Almazan, Gabe Norwood, CJ Perez, Robert Bolick, Kiefer Ravena, and Matthew Wright.
The pool also has four naturalized players in Andray Blatche, Jordan Clarkson, Christian Standhardinger, and Stanley Pringle.
The pool was approved by SBP president Al Panlilio and chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan on Monday, July 15, 2019.
Pogoy will be looking to prove his worth to Gilas head coach Yeng Guiao who will be trimming the roster to just 12 in the next few weeks. Should Pogoy be successful in making the final lineup, he says this will be a dream come true for him.
“It would be really special if I would be included in the lineup for the World Cup since every basketball player dreams of playing at that stage. It would really be a dream come true for me,” Pogoy said. /bmjo