Gilas Pilipinas lineup vs Jordan, Iran set; RJ Abarrientos cut

SQUAD. June Mar Fajardo (15), Scottie Thompson (9), and Dwight Ramos (24) in action for Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.

FIBA

As Gilas Pilipinas remains without injured naturalized player Justin Brownlee, head coach Tim Cone trusts the rest to rise to the occasion

AT A GLANCE

• RJ Abarrientos and Justin Arana were excluded from the final 12-man roster of Gilas Pilipinas for the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
• Kai Sotto leads the team in upcoming matches against Jordan and Iran, with June Mar Fajardo potentially playing his last games for the national team.
• The Philippines faces tough competition as both Jordan and Iran have strong records in the qualifiers, with Jordan's Jalen Harris being a standout player.

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MANILA, Philippines – RJ Abarrientos and Justin Arana did not make the cut as Gilas Pilipinas finalized its 12-man roster for its pivotal two-game homestand in the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

Back in national team action for the first time in two years, Kai Sotto leads the Philippines in its battles against Jordan and Iran on Friday, August 28, and Sunday, August 30, respectively, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Joining Sotto in the roster are June Mar Fajardo, Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu, Kevin Quiambao, Carl Tamayo, Juan Gomez de Liaño, Justine Baltazar, Scottie Thompson, Chris Newsome, CJ Perez, and Troy Rosario. 

Gilas Pilipinas’ longest-tenured member, Fajardo is set to play in possibly his last two games for the national team, capping a decorated 13-year career highlighted by three World Cup appearances.

Meanwhile, Thompson and Perez return to national team duties after missing the previous window as they hope to help the Philippines boost its World Cup aspirations after an inauspicious 2-4 start in the first round.

As Gilas Pilipinas remains without injured naturalized player Justin Brownlee, head coach Tim Cone trusts the rest to rise to the occasion. 

“You lose someone, but that means other people get opportunities. We’re going to try to take advantage of those opportunities,” said Cone. 

While the Philippines beat both Iran and Jordan on the way to claiming a historic Asian Games gold medal in 2023, both opponents have been stellar in the Asian Qualifiers, posting identical 5-1 records. 

Jordan has enjoyed a superb run so far behind naturalized player Jalen Harris, a former NBA player who leads the Asian Qualifiers in scoring with with an average of 27.0 points on 45.3% shooting from three-point range while playing just a little under 30 minutes per game. 

Harris is backed by veteran big man Ahmad Al Dwairi (12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists) and heady guard Freddy Ibrahim (11.2 points, 5.8 assists, and 5.2 rebounds).

Meanwwhile, Iran is expected to lean on the likes of Arsalan Kazemi, Matin Aghajanpour, and Piter Girgoorian, with top gunners Sina Vahedi and Behnam Yakhchali not part of the lineup for this window.

The Philippines is hosting all Group E games for this window as Australia, New Zealand, and Syria also play their games at the Mall of Asia Arena. – Rappler.com