By Jonas Terrado
Gilas Pilipinas program director Tab Baldwin said the inclusion of Magnolia veteran Marc Pingris to the 24-man pool for the first window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers is to help bridge the gap between past and present players.
Marc Pingris talks to the Gilas Pilipinas pool members during their first practice for the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers at the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center. (Jonas Terrado)
Many were surprised when Pingris’ name was included in the pool composed mostly of amateur players for the games against Thailand and Indonesia later this month, having last represented the country in the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
But Baldwin said the addition is to lay the foundation for the culture he and interim coach Mark Dickel want for the two games.
“His inclusion was really to bridge the former Gilas team that have been successful with this Gilas program and inject into it,” Baldwin said when asked of the inclusion of the 38-year-old forward.
“I think, the spirit, the commitment and the passion he has for the national team because I know, I absolutely know, we cannot be successful, no matter how much talent we roll out on this court in four years time, if we don’t have a culture that embodies the people of the country. And who better than Ping?”
Pingris donned the national colors from 2013 to 2016, serving as one of the backbones of Gilas’ run to the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain.
He also played under Baldwin in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship when a Philippine team that missed the services of some of top PBA stars for various reasons nearly snatched an Olympic berth, settling for runner-up honors behind host China.
While Pingris is seen as a veteran presence, Baldwin doesn’t discount the possibility of him playing a key role since newly-married Japeth Aguilar has begged off to be with his wife while Christian Standhardinger opted to take care of a recurring problem on his left knee.
Gilas opens its Asia Cup Qualifiers campaign against Thailand on Feb. 20 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum before taking on Indonesia three days later in Jakarta.
The Philippines is eyeing a top two finish in Group A that also includes South Korea in order to qualify for the 2021 Asia Cup.