Count Bennie Boatwright as the latest one to be included in the pool of Gilas Pilipinas naturalized players.
Boatwright, the 6-foot-9 stretch big who helped San Miguel Beer in winning the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup over Magnolia, is now undergoing process of becoming the newest reinforcement of our national squad.
A former standout of the University of Southern California, Boatwright will join the other naturalized players of Gilas headed by Barangay Ginebra mainstay Justin Brownlee, National Basketball Association star Jordan Clarkson and former Ateneo center Ange Kouame, all of them can be at the national team’s disposal once it participates in major international competitions.
With four players in the pool, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio has a more fitting description for these reinforcements.
“I don’t think it’s a problem. It gives us options, flexibility,” wrote Panlilio in a Viber message to Pinoystep.com.
All players mentioned, according to Panlilio, are still part of the program, even though Gilas coach Tim Cone is leaning towards tapping Brownlee, his long-time player more, for the most part of the Philippine men’s basketball team’s campaign.
Brownlee led Gilas to gold medal feats in the Asian Games and the Southeast Asian Games last year and jumpstarted the team’s campaign in the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers a few months ago.
“He (Clarkson) is still one of our naturalized players,” confirmed Panlilio when asked about the situation of the other naturalized players. “I always believed in the pool, so we have options. Kouame is also there.”
Since the SBP took over in becoming the country’s basketball governing body, this is the first time the federation came up with a pool of naturalized players.
Marcus Douthit played for the first wave of Gilas Pilipinas, whose core of players are composed of young talents outside of the PBA like Marcio Lassiter, Japeth Aguilar, Mark Barroca, Chris Lutz, JVee Casio, Mac Baracael and Chris Tiu among others.
Douthit played until the time when Gilas Pilipinas reverted to its plans of tapping players from the PBA and he led the country in making its return to the world basketball circuit when the Philippine squad finished second behind Iran.
He played until the 2015 SEA Games, reinforcing a team composed of amateur standouts and coached by Tab Baldwin.
Former NBA player Andray Blatche boosted Gilas’ campaign in the 2014 World Cup and played for the country until the 2019 edition of the event.
Clarkson first represented the country in the 2018 Asian Games, then came back to play in the window tournaments leading to the 2023 FIBA World Cup, while Kouame became a naturalized player four years ago and played alongside Brownlee during the Asiad last year.
