Black lists Brownlee, Kouame, Parks among those committed for Gilas in SEA Games

Naturalized players Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame, along with former national team members Ray Parks, Matthew Wright, and Dave Ildefonso, are among those who have committed to play for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, according to head coach Norman Black.

Joining them are Remy Martin, Jason Brickman, and collegiate standout Veejay Pre.

Black revealed the names on Friday, noting that the team still needs to fill several frontcourt positions.

“We still have four slots left. We're hoping to be able to add big men, because, as you can see from the names I gave you, we lack size,” said Black.

“We were hoping to get some consideration from the UAAP, because they have a lot of big men who can help us. They're young and talented.”

While Black is seeking support from collegiate teams, he acknowledged that the SEA Games schedule in Bangkok will likely conflict with the collegiate season.

“For us to be able to recruit some of their star players for the SEA Games team, judging by the schedule that’s been released so far, or at least the one I’ve seen, there would need to be some adjustments to accommodate the SEA Games,” he added.

In addition to the UAAP, Black is also hoping for assistance from the PBA and MPBL.

He also mentioned that they reached out to Filipino players in Korea and Japan, but were turned down by their respective clubs.

Still, Black remains hopeful and aims to gather the team for at least two weeks of practice.

“It’s going to be hard to get a lot of practice time when these guys are coming from different teams and just joining the SEA Games roster,” Black said.

The 2025 SEA Games in Bangkok will run from December 9 to December 20.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News