ROMEO
TWO Cebuanos made the final cut for the Gilas Pilipinas team that will represent the country in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament on July 5 in Manila.
They are two-time reigning PBA MVP and Pinamungahan-native June Mar Fajardo and flashy guard Terrence Romeo, whose father hails from the town of Boljoon. And while the duo’s addition came as no shock to the legion of Gilas fans everywhere, two exclusions particularly came out of nowhere.
Calvin Abueva, the undersized workhorse of the Gilas, and LA Tenorio, a veteran point guard, were the final cuts from the squad. Abueva was a key cog in the Gilas team that finished second to China in the 2015 Fiba Asia Men’s Championship in Changsha, China, and was widely considered by most to be a shoo-in.
The announcement was made from Bologna, Italy, where the Gilas are currently competing in a pocket tournament and were blown out by Italy by a whopping 36 points the other day.
The rest of the team is composed of naturalized Filipino Andray Blatche, Jayson Castro, Gabe Norwood, Ranidel De Ocampo, Japeth Aguilar, Marc Pingris, Ryan Reyes, Troy Rosario, Jeff Chan and Ray Parks.
The team will battle it out versus powerhouse France on July 5 at the Mall of Asia Arena.