Enough With Gilas, More With Batang Gilas.

Yes, I am one of the many who are disappointed with the decision of the SBP to withdraw from the Asian Games.

Yes, their decision makes sense in certain POVs (like if our goal was to finish at the podium). But there are other goals (player development, regional goodwill, etc...) and this decision does not help those at all.

But there is nothing more to be done about that so let's just move on to a team that has consistently given us something to cheer about and none to be ashamed of: Batang Gilas.

By next week, our young guns will bring honor to the country once again, as they compete at the FIBA Asia U-18 tournament. Led by promising youngsters Kai Sotto, AJ Edu, Raven Cortez, Gerry Abadiano, and Dalph Panopio, Batang Gilas hopes to cement their reputation as one of the most talented teams in Asia.

Here are three things to watch out for.



Thing #1 Kai Sotto's continued dominance.
The young man has been improving with every tournament and I'm anticipating even bigger things from this young lad, as he is now partnered with AJ Edu. Edu is a defensive stalwart and a rebounding machine. With Edu there to take some of the attention of Sotto, he will potentially have even more space in which to operate.

Thing #2 Better guard play.
No one really thought that neither Rence Padrigao nor Terrence Fortea would miss making the team but evidently, Dalph Panopio is that good. Abadiano is once again for the outside shooting but the inclusion of good shooters like Shaun Ildefonso, Xyrus Torres, and Miguel Ocson should theoretically make other teams pay if they choose to collapse on either Edu or Sotto.

Thing #3 The future of Philippine basketball.
Before the very talented Carl Tamayo begged off (he sustained an injury on the FIBA U-17 World Tournament), we were potentially looking at a monster line up of Sotto (7'2"), Edu (6'10"), Tamayo (6'7"), Abadiano (6'5"), and Panopio. That's basically an NBA lineup (in terms of height). And there isn't a very big gap in height from there, as Raven Cortez (6'7") and Geo Chiu (6'8") are your next big men off the bench.

Now, I'm guessing either Ildefonso or Rhayyan Amsali moves into starting shooting guard spot, with Abadiano moving to the small forward position. A smaller lineup, for sure, but not by much. Ildefonso is a hard working two way player while Amsali is a proven double-double machine.

Either way, there is much to be excited about with Gilas basketball. Just not with the seniors' team but with Batang Gilas.