The explosive TNT Tropang Giga guard is eligible to play in the Asian Games. But will he?
One thing that stuck out like a sore thumb in Gilas Pilipinas’ FIBA World Cup campaign was its ghastly three-point shooting. In all, the national team shot 29.8% from rainbow country for the tournament, and that clip could have been lower if not for Jordan Clarkson’s fiery shooting versus China to help Gilas end the hoops conclave with a win.
So, as newly minted Gilas coach Tim Cone and his coaching staff rush to form the Asian Games iteration of the national team, don’t be surprised if they go after guys who can shoot the long ball.
And Cone, the winningest coach in PBA history, already has one player in mind as he looks to fill out a roster that won’t feature locals Rhenz Abando, Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu, and Kai Sotto.
“We’re gonna get the best players that are available and try to make them the best team. There’s still a lot of guys who can play in the PBA,” Cone told One Sports. “One of the guys we’re talking about who’s still up in the air is Mikey Williams. You guys all know him, he could be a real impact [player] for us.”
Cone, however, is keeping his fingers crossed as nothing is set in stone at the moment—at least not yet.
“He’s not a lock for the team because we’re still trying to get him here…” Cone pointed out. “But he’s a game-changer. He can score and stretch the defense and open up things for Justin [Brownlee].
He should know. After all, Williams torched Cone’s Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup finals, where the 6-foot-2 Fil-Am averaged 22.0 points, 3.3 boards, and 3.2 dimes—including a 38-point tour de force in the title clincher he punctuated with nine booming triples.
Gilas could sure use that kind of shooter. But does Williams want to play?
(With reports from Kiko Demigilio, One Sports)