ALLAN THE MAN

Smart Gilas Pilipinas flew yesterday to Lithuania to begin its two-month buildup for the FIBA-Asia tournament in August – minus Joaquin Thoss and Calvin Abueva who, national coach Chot Reyes believed, would make his team complete and competitive.

Reyes left with just 13 players for Lithuania, including Beau Belga. Four others – Jimmy Dillinger, Kelly Williams, Ryan Reyes and Thoss – were left behind to heal their injuries. Cadet player Greg Slaughter can’t make the trip due to his commitment with the NLEX squad seeking another championship in the PBA D-League.

"We are still upbeat of our chances in the FIBA-Asia," he said, "because we know the crowd will be behind us. But nothing beats a team stacked with the best available players, who are willing to give their best for the country."

Smart-Gilas is bidding to land a top three finish in the biennial Asian cagefest, being held in the country for the first time in 40 years, to qualify for next year's World Championship in Spain.

Reyes was hoping Thoss and Abueva could finally join Gilas after being treated in China but the duo is also set to join Alaska on a trip to the US July 15-22 to celebrate the team's Commissioner’s Cup victory. By then, the FIBA-Asia Championship, set on Aug. 1-11, is just around the corner.

Thoss, who emerged as the Commissioner's Cup Finals MVP, was on the original 17-man training roster that Reyes handpicked last month from all the PBA teams with the blessings of the Commissioner’s Office, while Abueva emerged as a natural late-up call after his sterling performance in the Commissioner's Cup.

"I can't feel bad about it, nakapanghihinayang lang," Reyes said, recalling he experienced the same thing last year when several players he had wanted to tap for Gilas' campaign in the Jones Cup were also not allowed by their mother teams to make the trip. Despite this, Gilas emerged victorious, beating a US team represented by NBA D-League players in the title match.

"If we don't come up to expectations in the FIBA-Asia, I can't use that as an excuse. It comes with the territory, but..." Reyes said.

Despite the team's manpower woes, Reyes remained upbeat, saying this is no time to fret over spilled milk. After the Lithuania trip, he and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas are eyeing "tournament-toughening" stints in Japan, New Zealand and even China.

Notes: Reyes was thankful to Rain Or Shine for releasing center Beau Belga to the national team. "I talked to Rain or Shine officials about Belga and they didn't think twice in letting him go. Even Beau was ecstatic to be given the chance to play for the national team. If only all the teams were like them," Reyes was quoted as saying, clearly downcast that Thoss can’t join the Lithuania trip.

Reyes said he was also considering Abueva, another Alaska cager, but he, like Thoss, could not get a clearance from the Aces. Reyes was hoping he could take in Abueva after Alaska said it would release the prized rookie if Gilas made a request. However, Reyes said Alaska owner Wilfred Uytengsu and coach Luigi Trillo later said their wards could no longer make the Lithuania camp because of their injuries.

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