Marc Pingris will not be part of the SMART-Gilas Pilipinas lineup for the FIBA Asia Cup this September, coach Chot Reyes said on Thursday.
Reyes told InterAKTV in a telephone interview that the San Mig Coffee forward is still on vacation and recuperating from a neck injury suffered during the Governors’ Cup finals.
The coach had coveted the big man’s services despite SMART-Gilas winning the 34th William Jones Cup in Taipei last week. Pingris was expected to provide rebounding and defense at power forward, a glaring weakness for the Philippine team that was forced to play wingman Gabe Norwood at that spot during the tournament.
Reyes earlier said he expects the FIBA Asia Cup, which is slated on September 14 to 22 in Tokyo, Japan, to be tougher than the Jones Cup. Unlike the Jones Cup which featured club teams and national teams, the Japan tilt will only be featuring national sides.
The former Talk ‘N Text coach said that he will release the lineup for SMART-Gilas team that will compete in Japan on Friday.
Source: http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/no-sakuragi-in-japan-pingris-out-of-smart-gilas-lineup-for-fiba-asia-cup
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