THE 2026 Asian Games will be held in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, Japan, and its men’s basketball event will be held from Sept. 10 to 20.
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) submitted a 30-man pool from where the final roster will be selected. That’s just enough invitation for the legions of Filipino fans to play armchair coach and make their own selections. Let’s start with the context.
Non-FIBA tournament
As opposed to the qualifying windows for the FIBA World Cup, the Asian Games is not subject to FIBA eligibility rules. That’s good news and bad news for the Philippines.
The good news is that foreign players with Filipino ancestry who are not FIBA eligible can play in the Asian Games. Another plus factor for Filipinos is that there is no limit to the number of naturalized players in the team. Meaning, the Philippines can field both Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame.
Unfortunately, Bennie Boatwright’s naturalization status is still not official, and he was not included on the list.
The bad news is that most Gilas Pilipinas mainstays who are under contract in Japan and Korea are only allowed to play in FIBA-sanctioned events as a national team exception. Thus, Kai Sotto, AJ Edu, Dwight Ramos, Kevin Quiambao and Carl Tamayo will not see action in the Asian Games because they are obligated to play for their respective teams in Japan and Korea.
Given these limitations, here are my suggestions for the Final roster of Gilas Pilipinas. It’s a 15-man pool to include possible reserves, although the actual final roster only has 12 spots.
Centers
For me, there is still a distinction between centers and just “bigs.” For this category, there are only three, and most likely only two will make the final roster spot.
JuneMar Fajardo — Despite constant criticism in international competitions, the Kraken remains a solid option. He can still serve well in the Asian Games as a solid big man.
Ange Kouame — Finally getting an opportunity to be the naturalized player, Kouame can’t waste this chance. He will provide the much-needed rim protection for the national team.
The third center spot could belong to a player named Brandon, either Bates or Ganuelas-Rosser. Ganuelas-Rosser, however, is more dynamic, athletic and experienced. So, he may have the advantage here.
Forwards
Justin Brownlee — The legend on a final tour of duty. He may not be able to carry the team as much as he did three years ago. Let’s hope he does not have to be in Nagoya.
Zavier Lucero — He is everything you can ask for in a modern wing: tall, quick, with good shooting range. Unless coach Tim Cone reiterates his emphasis on familiarity, Lucero should be a shoo-in as he is currently outperforming guys like Calvin Oftana or even Jamie Malonzo in the PBA.
Justine Baltazar — He is taller, more versatile than the other Justin of Converge. He may have to play center if the other two would get into foul trouble. Baltazar is a consistent, double-double machine and a necessary insurance.
Mike Phillips — Reports say Phillips is committed to play in the Asian Games even if he just signed a B-League deal. If Motor Mike holds true to his commitment, then it’s a no-brainer since the team needs his energy.
Calvin Oftana — If Cone wants stability, Oftana is still heavily reliable despite his current lackluster conference. He’d be more appealing than Cj Cansino, whose height limits him as a guard in international competition.
Guards
This is where it gets tricky as the selection involves numerous hypotheticals.
Remy Martin — He has expressed his desire to represent the flag and could get his chance in the Asian Games. However, his contract obligations in Iceland may stand in the way.
If Martin could not play, the backcourt position will be led by veterans Chris Newsome and Scottie Thompson, two Tim Cone favorites. However, if Cone is looking for more firepower off the bench and in clutch situations. In the PBA now, no duo is better than Robert Bolick and Schonny Winston of NLEX. They deserve to be in the lineup.
Another deserving guard is Juan Gomez de Liaño, whose fearless confidence passed the acid test when the Philippines played Australia and New Zealand in the qualifiers.
Coach Tim Cone will still take RJ Abarrientos as a familiar presence, and that’s just fine. RJ can excel against Asian guards, and he can have redemption here for not playing above par against New Zealand and Australia.
That’s my take. What’s yours?
