LOOK: Andray Blatche back in Manila to train with Gilas Pilipinas

Published August 3, 2015 12:10am

Naturalized Filipino basketball player Andray Blatche arrived in Manila late Sunday night to train with Gilas Pilipinas in preparation for the FIBA Asia Championship in China in September.

.@drayblatche: I'm excited to see my team, #TeamGilas, again. | via @hadjirieta pic.twitter.com/2hziUzJkrL
— GMA News (@gmanews) August 2, 2015

In July, former national basketball team coach Chot Reyes said the Philippine team will have a good chance to get a gold in the tournament in September with Blatche on the team.

"We have an excellent chance," he said. "If we're able to get Andray Blatche, we should be one of the favorites to win the gold medal.

"I think that's a consensus that even the rest of Asia shares," he added.

NOW: Naturalized player Andray Blatche, dumating na sa bansa (NAIA T1) para sa training ng Gilas Pilipinas. @dzbb pic.twitter.com/P2xiJHNgUA
— James Agustin ??? (@_jamesagustin) August 2, 2015

The 6-foot-11 center-forward played for the Philippines in the FIBA World Cup in Seville, Spain last year, but was not able to see action in the Asian Games due to eligibility issues.

Blatche, a former player for the Brooklyn Nets, recently had a stint in the Chinese league, but new Gilas coach Tab Baldwin assured that he will join the 12-man team the country will send to China. — JDS, GMA News

Tags: andrayblatche, gilaspilipinas, fibaasiachampionships