Players that we can have naturalized

[IPC]

The 4-5 positions should always be priority as homegrown talents are not aplenty.

2014 Blatche was the best NP we had IMO. A 6'11 big who can play all 1-5 positions.

We are already producing enough players in the 6'2-6'7 range. Kailangan na lang talaga ihasa ang skills nila.

More importantly, a 4-5 who can defend the paint. We don't exactly produce FIBA-caliber paint protectors in abundance. Only ones that have panned out so far are Japeth, AJ, and Kai. If we want to maintain a good defense, having a good paint protector is important.

[BJ_Reloaded]

With a good interior defensive big, filling defensive roles at the 1, 2, and 3 spots becomes less urgent, even if those are still needs. It's easier to impact the game defensively as an interior defender. If we go with an offensive-minded player, it's harder to build a defense, especially if we don't have good defensive bigs and wings in the lineup.

Now, AJ turns 31 in 2031 (which is the year of the World Cup after the 2027 one). So, we'll need to naturalize a defensive big that's at least 6 years younger than him, so go with the range of 2006 and earlier, so that it's easier to have continuity after they retire, and that we still have a decent defensive big.

Note, I'm thinking defense because I grew as a fan from watching the early 2010's Bulls, which were known for tough defense. Also, from what I remember, we don't go far without a good defense. 2013 Asia Cup, 2015 Asia Cup, and even last year's Asiad squad and this year's OQT squad, had good defenses. 2017 Asia Cup, 2019 World Cup, and 2022 SEA Games, not so much.

Sir IPC,

that's the reality.

if the stars are perfectly align on Philippine basketball moving forward with a new sets of blood on our beloved NF that is less on corporate and marketing but more inclined on grassroot development and knows how to maximize properly the exemption rules on the current playbook

we could certainly parade a tall and competitive line-up plus a world class on the purpose of continue upsetting and dislodging who's who in the top 20 all the way to the top 10

Yes, those young ineligible bigs of ours are not yet fully tested against those teams in the upper levels but if they only allow to include and participate in non-sanctioned but high level tourneys while
continue accumulating some precious merits, surely come 2031 up to 2035 cycle they will have all the necessary high level experiences they needed comes face-off.

I don't think the next generation of Filipinos the so-called "Gen Alpha" are deprive with heights.

certainly we could discover a handful of kids out there both domestically and on those diasporas.

I always mentioning this and I know no one will argue on me on this

having a 6'9 to 6'10 Sonny Alvarado or Calvin Abueva minus the cuckoo in the head is still a gold standard for our next Naturalize guy.

[BJ_Reloaded]

I considered Philippine News Agency as the most reliable and unbiased in providing the best reliable information we Filipinos need to know about current events

compared to those libertarian minded bias yellow/pink main stream media.

I didn't know that much about the writer who posted this article several years ago.

as per latest info he is now the current editor in chief of Dugout Philippines and had an active socmed accounts

I'm just fond of reading during weekend Day-offs.

The magic wand of Grandpa Chualay are needed??

let see.

most probably his parents who are both here during the 2019 NBTC Games his 2nd stint of a young merely 17 yr. old Jalen back then already obtained(?) the docs but it's no brainer

the 5-star recruit are already committed to Uncle Sam's youth team at that time.

we had to keep in mind the time-line of the alleged online interview with several reporters.

circa Aug. 2020

Green already played for the United States in FIBA-sanctioned youth tournaments.

Green led Team USA to the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup title, where he won the Most Valuable Player award, and also made significant contributions for the team's title run in last year's FIBA U19 World Cup.

"I have already played for the USA. I've won gold medals with the USA, so I'm not sure [if I am still eligible to play for Gilas Men]," he said.

The 18-year-old Green has already attained a Philippine passport.

FIBA eligibility rules state that a player of mixed descent can play for a national team of his choice provided that he already got a passport from where he wants to represent before his 16th birthday.

On whether he will be eligible for Gilas Men, Green just said, "Only time will tell."

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1112216

[FilWelsh]

Even if Jalen Green has indeed secured Philippine passport but the pressing question is: will the USA Basketball issue release order for him considering he is playing high level.

[IPC]

Cone and sbp should look on our best young ineligibles like harper jr. and boogie ellis. Harper jr. Is around same ht. As brownlee and ellis is around 6'3 combo guard
Dont like they're forcing a not 100% boatwright to play and boatwright not answering emails or calls.

I read about that on Twitter, the one about not answering calls.

About Harper Jr., he's a 3, from what I read. Can he have an impact similar to Scottie Pippen from that spot?

[lurklurk]

I read about that on Twitter, the one about not answering calls.

About Harper Jr., he's a 3, from what I read. Can he have an impact similar to Scottie Pippen from that spot?

Harper Jr plays a lot of forward in the pros (NBA and G league) due to him not being an elite ballhandler and not being as fast as other players in his natural position. IIRC, he played a lot of 2 guard in college. But in the NBA, he sometimes play the 4 even, which is similar to Brownlee--even their scouting reports during his draft combine were similar (lack of explosion/quickness, loose handle). Come to think of it, even their upside is the same with scouts saying Harper Jr has excellent ball IQ, while scouts back then said Brownlee views the game 1 step ahead. They are also both solid on-ball playmakers. I think the Pippen comparison is apt, given that Harper Jr is not an instinctive scorer like Brownlee and is more a facilitator/pass first.

[IPC]

Onyeka Okongwu's name was also floated around. He would be solid.

i agree, however I have 2 concerns:

1) NBA players only play during off season. we'll still have bigman problems during qualifiers
2) i posted before, our NT coaches who mostly coach PBA teams seem to prefer to use NP who will take over the game offensively for us when the team gets checked by the opposing defence. against Asian team, sure Onyeka will over power most if not all of them. but he hasnt shown he can lift a team with his offense. once we face AUS, Euro, African, and Americas teams he would have a hard time defending and creating points game in and game out

I agree, availability will be a concern.

But on his quality, I'm not sure about him not being up to the task offensively. For perspective, imports who don't even make it to the NBA go crazy on offense on lower levels when given the keys. He has above average athleticism/length even in the NBA and he's only 24 and is still improving (same age as our "golden generation"). Just a few days ago he had a 20/20 game "off the bench."

But what makes him a great fit for us is he can play 4/5 and is very good defensively.

Okongwu's trying for Nigeria as of now, though.

https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2025/1/2/jalen-green-atlantas-okongwu-not-keen-on-playing-for-gilas-1659

[Metta]

Okongwu's trying for Nigeria as of now, though.

https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2025/1/2/jalen-green-atlantas-okongwu-not-keen-on-playing-for-gilas-1659

That sucks. And Green has been playing well enough to be in serious consideration for team USA next Olympics.

He did however say he wants to play for USA and then Philippines. Maybe he can do a Klay.

[FilWelsh]

Harper Jr plays a lot of forward in the pros (NBA and G league) due to him not being an elite ballhandler and not being as fast as other players in his natural position. IIRC, he played a lot of 2 guard in college. But in the NBA, he sometimes play the 4 even, which is similar to Brownlee--even their scouting reports during his draft combine were similar (lack of explosion/quickness, loose handle). Come to think of it, even their upside is the same with scouts saying Harper Jr has excellent ball IQ, while scouts back then said Brownlee views the game 1 step ahead. They are also both solid on-ball playmakers. I think the Pippen comparison is apt, given that Harper Jr is not an instinctive scorer like Brownlee and is more a facilitator/pass first.

How I wish SBP could expedite application with FIBA to re-classify Kouame from NP to homegrown local. If we succeed it will definitely expand our options thus re-directing energy or resources. We could tap Harper Jr. as our NP though I believe he is on two-way NBA - G League contract…. I have no idea if a player with two-way contract can be called to play for his NT in FIBA qualifying windows while NBA season still on.

I tend to believe that Harper Jr. has already secured Filipino passport at age 18. But securing him as NP is not as tedious as if we start the process anew (identification, screening, documents gathering, naturalisation processing and so on)

[sroth3839]

How I wish SBP could expedite application with FIBA to re-classify Kouame from NP to homegrown local. If we succeed it will definitely expand our options thus re-directing energy or resources. We could tap Harper Jr. as our NP though I believe he is on two-way NBA - G League contract…. I have no idea if a player with two-way contract can be called to play for his NT in FIBA qualifying windows while NBA season still on.

I tend to believe that Harper Jr. has already secured Filipino passport though at age 18. But securing him as NP is not as tedious as if we start the process anew (identification, screening, documents gathering, naturalisation processing and so on)

It's gonna be a long 8 months with all this speculation and clamor for adding new players. Lool.

[FilWelsh]

It's gonna be a long 8 months with all this speculation and clamor for adding new players. Lool.

I’m on with adding new players in the pool but only after 2025 FIBA Asia Cup… SBP and Cone must keep JBL and Gilas team intact until then.

[Dotch]

That sucks. And Green has been playing well enough to be in serious consideration for team USA next Olympics.

He did however say he wants to play for USA and then Philippines. Maybe he can do a Klay.

Getting Jalen Green is a long shot anyway. USAB President Grant Hill has probably already sent out fillers to him to be in the next batch of NBA Players for Team USA.

Maybe only 1 or 2 players, or maybe none at all will be retained from the 2024 Paris Olympic Team. Those guys are old, and the ones that are younger ( Ant, Hali, JT) already said they will only play in the Olympics.

[IPC]

Onyeka Okongwu's name was also floated around. He would be solid.

I agree, availability will be a concern.

But on his quality, I'm not sure about him not being up to the task offensively. For perspective, imports who don't even make it to the NBA go crazy on offense on lower levels when given the keys. He has above average athleticism/length even in the NBA and he's only 24 and is still improving (same age as our "golden generation"). Just a few days ago he had a 20/20 game "off the bench."

But what makes him a great fit for us is he can play 4/5 and is very good defensively.

on the bold part, no disagreement there.

but on his 20/20 game. sure, looks wonderful. but he does have Trae who pulls defence away from the paint with his shooting and can pass the ball to anyone who gets free from his defender.
i have no doubt he can score atleast 20pts and he might even pull more than 20 rebs once in awhile .what I doubt is if we can give him the ball and just clear out. thats what we did with JC and thats what we do with JB lots of time. Thats also something CTC can do IF we get Boatright.

dont get me wrong, I support getting NP who can hold the paint for us on defence and on rebounding just like Douthit and Ange. it forces our locals to really step up in offense, and we saw that in spades with Casio, Castro, and RJ/SJ/Dwight. and we might even see this with Carl. but history shows us, PBA coaches like an NP they can give the ball to and everyone else just clear out.im not really sure if thats the kind of player Onyeka is.

For me, the way he scores is exactly what we need. The JC style where everyone just stands and watches is not good basketball.

For perspective, I don't think Kai can consistently score 5 pts in the NBA and yet he can be a scorer for Gilas. Okongwu averaged about 30 in the very top HS tier, more than 16 in D1 as a freshman and is on a scoring spree this year. And he's 24.

He'll be a problem in non-Aus Asia and might be our solution against rough and athletic Americas/African teams.

All moot though since he's not available. I just hope we consider his archetype more than just clear-out asa sa import types.

for sure. i agree that his type of player is better for us. i just dont see, so far, Gilas leaders going for that as evident on the whole Boatright love from them.

If we have at least one of AJ and Kai in the lineup, having players like JC and Bennie as our NP is fine. At least their weaknesses will be compensated when we have good paint protectors behind them. Of course, Scottie, Newsome, Dwight, CJ, Oftana, and hopefully Malonzo, Quiambao, and Carl can help.

However, there's a risk in having players like JC and Bennie as the NP when we miss both Kai and AJ. We risk having a hole when it comes to interior defense. After Japeth, no depth of FIBA eligibles in terms of paint protection, so our best option is most likely the NP. Can we win against the other Asian powers (Aussie, Japan, NZ, Lebanon, Iran, China, Jordan, SoKor) with a hole in our interior defense?

We take the same risk with JB, actually, but at least JB can defend well from the 3 and 4 spots, and could serve us as a small ball 5 at times.

[Silent Killer]

For the nth time sbp should really pursue harper jr. As our NP.. He'll be a perfect replacement for brownlee.. or get boogie ellis.

Look much cheaper than naturalizing benny who takes ages to naturalize.

[live_evil]

For the nth time sbp should really pursue harper jr. As our NP.. He'll be a perfect replacement for brownlee.. or get boogie ellis.

Look much cheaper than naturalizing benny who takes ages to naturalize.

But Al Panlilio is still sleeping in the noodlehouse and doesn't have the brains to be the SBP president and work on those things are common sense for a lot of people.