There’s nothing surprising on Mason Amos’ return in the Gilas Pilipinas roster and head coach Tim Cone justified the rationale behind the young men’s comeback in the national team program.
Amos along with veteran center/forward Japeth Aguilar, were among the latest inclusion in the current Gilas pool preparing for the coming Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia to be held barely a month from now.
“I really liked Mason when he was with Coach Chot’s (Reyes) World Cup pool. I thought he was an elite shooter with unique size,” wrote Cone in a text message to Pinoystep.com.
Amos burst onto the Gilas Pilipinas scene early last year when he was included in one of the window tournaments leading to the FIBA World Cup.
He had a sensational debut game, hitting all of his five field goal attempts and finishing with 13 points in the Philippines’ 107-96 rout of Lebanon in the World Cup Asian Qualifiers in February 2023.
Since then, he has become a part of the Gilas program and was once again included in the gold medal winning squad in Cambodia.
Amos’ return was sparked by the manpower shortage Gilas Pilipinas is facing now as its young big men like AJ Edu and Kai Sotto remained uncertain for the coming OQT due to their health condition.
Edu’s issues with his knee has scrapped him out of the Gilas roster for the OQT event in Latvia where the Philippines faces a daunting task of taking a shot of an elusive Olympic berth.
As early as the youth level when he was representing the national team, the Filipino-Cypriot has been riddled with various injuries that had somehow derailed his continuous growth as a player.
The inclusion of Amos and Aguilar, who had previously retired from playing for the national team, but was forced to push his aging 37-year-old body once more for flag and country, is the best solution for the Gilas team at this time even as they await Sotto’s return to the national pool.
Aguilar continues to amaze Cone, who keeps the faith on his tried and tested veteran and believes that he remains serviceable for the national team’s cause.
“Japeth is crucial to us because he’s a veteran and a leader who knows our system in offense and defense and can teach the other players. Plus, miraculously, he has not lost his any of his youthful athleticism. I find that amazing,” added Cone.
Earlier, Sotto, thru his dad, Ervin, confirmed that the 7-foot-3 center remains uncertain on joining Gilas as he is still recovering from a hyperextended knee injury.
But it wasn’t only Edu and Sotto who are sidelined by injuries as even Scottie Thompson has been playing hurt the past few months.
“Our issue now is Scottie Thompson and his back problems. He’s doing everything he can to get ready, but at this point, we’re not 100% sure he’ll be available. We’re weighing options in case he can’t make it,” added Cone.
