MANILA — Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tab Baldwin finally revealed Thursday the composition of the Philippine squad where the Final 12 for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament will come from. Baldwin was earlier expected to make the announcement after Wednesday night's tuneup match between Gilas and the Iranian national team. Baldwin delayed the announcement until Thursday morning, apparently waiting for a last-minute word from San Miguel Beer sharpshooter Marcio Lassiter on whether he could still rejoin the team. Lassiter had been out for days due to bronchopneumonia. Baldwin eventually decided to leave out Lassiter as he revealed the team's 14-man roster. The team will be led by naturalized player Andray Blatche who will play alongside NBA D-League player Bobby Ray Parks and PBA stars Jayson Castro, June Mar Fajardo, Gabe Norwood, Japeth Aguilar, LA Tenorio, Marc Pingris, Calvin Abueva, Terrence Romeo, Ryan Reyes, Ranidel de Ocampo, Troy Rosario and Jeff Chan. Aside from Lassiter, also cut from the initial lineup are amateur players Kiefer Ravena, Mac Belo, Russell Escoto, Kevin Ferrer and Roger Pogoy. Mo Tautuaa, the team's backup for the naturalized player spot, was also left off. The 14 selected players will compose Gilas Pilipinas' roster in its training camp in Europe. The team will head to Greece and Italy Friday as part of its training. The pool will be further trimmed to 12 in time for the FIBA Olympic qualifier tournament in Manila that will tip off on July 5 with Gilas Pilipinas going up against European powerhouse France in its first game. Meanwhile, Filipinos finally got to see a sample of what newcomer Parks could contribute to the new Gilas squad Wednesday night in the game against Iran. The former collegiate star who is now playing for the NBA D-League played a major role in Gilas' 81-70 victory over Iran, finishing with 11 points, three rebounds, and five assists. When the Iranians launched a fiery comeback from 23-points down to whittle down Gilas' lead to two, 72-70, late in the game, Parks was there to help stem the tide alongside Blatche and Tenorio. "It feels good," said Parks after the game. "We have to trust one another. I guess coach trusted me to be there with the other guys and we pulled through." Baldwin heaped praises on Parks. "Ray plays hard, plays really smart, and he is a heck of an athlete," said Baldwin. Parks said he feels confident that he could contribute more to Gilas. "Still got more in the tank," he said. Ryan Reyes also made a good impression of himself as he was among the starting five in the game against Iran alongside Blatche, Pingris, Norwood and Castro. The hardworking Tropang TNT guard finished with 12 points, hitting 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Reyes' nearly flawless outside shooting made up for the absence of Gilas' top gunners Lassiter and Jeff Chan, who also reported sick.
