MANILA – Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings standouts Rhon Jay Abarrientos and Jeth Troy Rosario were left out of the Gilas Pilipinas lineup for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup, which begins next week in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Gilas Pilipinas assistant coach Richard del Rosario confirmed the removal of Abarrientos and Rosario as they finalized the national team roster on Wednesday night.
“Yes, RJ and Troy are out of the Gilas 12,” del Rosario said in a Viber message to Panay News. “They will no longer join the team in Jeddah.”
Gilas head coach Tim Cone, for his part, expressed his regret over the difficult decision to cut the two players, praising their work ethic and impact during the team’s preparations for the continental tournament.
“Yes, we thank RJ and Troy for their incredibly hard work,” Cone said in a separate message to Panay News.
“They were absolutely crucial to our preparation and we hated leaving them behind, but we could only bring 12, so we’re going with the originals,” he added.
Despite their exclusion, Cone emphasized that both players remain important to the national program and will likely play key roles in the future.
“RJ and Troy will continue to be key pieces of the team as we move forward,” Cone said.
Their departure came as TNT Tropang 5G forward Calvin Oftana was cleared to play despite nursing a sprained ankle.
The final Gilas 12 is composed of Oftana, Justin Brownlee, June Mar Fajardo, Jaymar Perez, Earl Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar, Jamie Malonzo, Chris Newsome, Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo, AJ Edu, and Kevin Quiambao./PN
