Gilas Pilipinas Head Coach Tim Cone has finally revealed 4 new players that will be added in the Gilas Pilipinas Pool in preparation for the upcoming FIBA Asia Cup at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, that will be played from August 5 to 17.
These are: RJ Abarrientos, Troy Rosario, Rhenz Abando, and Zavier Lucero
FIBA Asia Cup Roster Requirement Prompts Expansion of Gilas Pilipinas Pool
According to Reuben Terrado of Spin.ph, Tim Cone said the reason he expanded the pool of players was to fulfill the requirement of submitting a long list of names for the FIBA Asia Cup.
“It’s a long list for the Asia Cup that the Asia Cup required us to do. They required us to put a long list together for the Asia Cup. So I think we put 15, 16 players. Kai’s on that list too, but obviously he’s not playing,” said the Gilas mentor.
He also clarified that this new set of players are only for this upcoming FIBA Tournament and are not really part of the long term plans of the national team.
“It’s just totally the Asia Cup.”
More Players to be Added Soon?
“The 12 we are bringing is not written in stone. We could have some last-minute changes,” said the current Head Coach of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
“We’ll see what happens as we move forward. They are part of the long list that we have, just in case something happens.”
Still Firm With The Team’s Continuity…However
Despite the new addition of key players, Cone has reiterated to still use “continuity” with his current 12-man roster, but at the same time, shared a “slight possibility” of having these new players become part of his lineup come August.
“As of now, those are the 12 that we are intending to bring. But if something happens or we feel that someone is really contributing, who needs to be on the team from the long list, we’ll add them in. But again, it’s really for us, it’s about system and familiarit,y and that’s what we’re trying to bank our success on,” said the PBA’s winningest Head Coach with the most championships won.
The 12-man Cone is referring to are the ones he mentioned to be in the long term plan of Gilas, these are: Justin Brownlee, Kai Sotto, June Mar Fajardo, Scottie Thompson, Chris Newsome, Carl Tamayo, Kevin Quiambao, Dwight Ramos, Kevin Quiambao, Cjay Perez, Calvin Oftana, and Jamie Malonzo.
Japeth Aguilar, who was named to the roster as an alternate, will be taking over the place of Sotto, who is out due to an ACL injury.
Lucero’s Eligibility Still Pending
Considering that the 7-foot-3 Kai Sotto is out for the remainder of 2025, Zavier Lucero, the 6-foot-6 big man of the Magnolia Hotshots, can temporarily take his place.
But here’s the catch, his eligibility is still not cleared up until now if he’ll play as a local or as a naturalized player.
“The SBP is checking that out now. But he (Lucero) is handing in all of his paperwork, and he’s checking that out. They are checking that out now,” according to Tim Cone from a story of Reuben Terrado from Spin.ph
It is still uncertain whether Lucero obtained a Philippine passport before the age of 16, as it is a key requirement set by FIBA for a player to be considered a local. The 25-year-old Lucero was born in Vallejo, California, to a Mexican father and a Filipina mother.
While he suited up for California State University Maritime Academy, he also spent two seasons playing in the UAAP for the University of the Philippines. He was selected fifth overall by NorthPort ahead of Season 48 (2023–24) and was later traded to Magnolia in July 2024.
