ni VA - @Sports | April 27, 2021
Nagbalik na kahapon sa bubble training ang Gilas Pilipinas sa Calamba, Laguna upang ipagpatuloy ang kanilang paghahanda para sa mga darating na FIBA competitions.
"The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas heeded the instructions of the Philippine Sports Commission when they asked all national athletes to halt their training during the Enhanced Community Quarantine. When the IATF announced that they will be lifting those limitations, we immediately worked on getting the team back together," wika ni SBP President Al Panlilio. "Of course there were protocols that we had to complete including the testing for all the members of the pool but the team's ready to go back to work." Napilitang itigil ang pagsasanay ng national training pool bago mag-Mahal na Araw pagkaraang ipailalim ang buong NCR sampu ng ilang karatig probinsiya kabilang na ang Laguna sa Enhanced Community Quarantine noong Marso 29.
Ang mga lalahok sa bubble training ay pangungunahan nina 2019 PBA Special Gilas Draft picks na sina Matt Nieto, Mike Nieto, Isaac Go at Rey Suerte at Season 46 special draftees Jordan Heading, William Navarro, Tzaddy Rangel at JD Tungcab. Kasamang inimbita para bumalik sa bubble training sina Kemark Carino, Javi Gomez de Liaño, Dave Ildefonso, SJ Belangel, RJ Abarrientos, Carl Tamayo, Justine Baltazar, Jason Credo, Geo Chiu, Lebron Lopez at naturalization candidate Ange Kuame. Inaasahan namang susunod sa training camp si Dwight Ramos pagdating nito galing US maging si Kai Sotto na kamakailan lang ay pumirma para maglaro sa Adelaide 36ers sa NBL.
Maghahanda ang Gilas sa training bubble para sa dalawang paparating na FIBA tournaments, una ang FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers sa Hunyo 16 - 20 sa Clark, Pampanga at ang FIBA Olympic Qualifier sa Hunyo 29-Hulyo 4 na idaraos sa Belgrade,Serbia.
Gagabayan ang national pool nina Gilas Pilipinas Men's Team Program Director Tab Baldwin, head coach Jong Uichico at mga deputies na sina Sandy Arespacochaga, Boyet Fernandez, Caloy Garcia, Alton Lister, Sandro Soriano at trainer Dex Aseron.