Gilas Pilipinas to head back to Calamba training bubble on April 26

Gilas Pilipinas will be heading back to their training bubble in Calamba, Laguna on Monday as part of their preparations for the upcoming FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers and the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

According to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), among those who are expected to join the bubble are 2019 Gilas draftees Isaac Go, Matt and Mike Nieto, and Rey Suerte, and recent draftees Jordan Heading, Tzaddy Rangel, William Navarro, and Jaydee Tungcab.

National Collegiate Athletic Association standout Kemark Cariño, and other collegiate players Javi Gomez de Liaño, Dave Ildefonso, SJ Belangel, RJ Abarrientos, Carl Tamayo, Justine Baltazar, Jason Credo, Geo Chiu will also join the camp, along with high school star Lebron Lopez.

Ange Kouame, who is a candidate for naturalization, is also invited to the camp. SBP said, while Dwight Ramos will also join the camp upon his arrival from the US.

“We appreciate everyone’s eagerness to rejoin the bubble and we’re hopeful that the team will get to pick up where they left things off before they broke camp,” SBP president Al Panlilio said in a statement.

SBP also said it adhered to coronavirus protocols before they start their return to training.

The final window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers will be held in Clark on June 16-20. The Olympic Qualifiers, meanwhile, will be played on June 29-July 4 in Serbia.

In a previous interview with GMA News Online, Gilas program director Tab Baldwin said it had 'elite' practices in their previous camp but it was cut short due to the imposition of the enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. — LA/BM, GMA News