Before Gilas Pilipinas headed to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament with only 11 players, Rhenz Abando was among the names floated to replace the injured Scottie Thompson in the final lineup.
Aside from Jordan Heading, another key player with previous national team experience that’s notably missing from Gilas Pilipinas currently is Rhenz Abando.
Before Gilas headed to the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga with only 11 players, Abando was among the names floated to replace the injured Scottie Thompson in the final lineup.
Unfortunately, Abando’s absence from the FIBA OQT ultimately came down to what he perceived to be a simple miscommunication between him and the national team.
“To be honest, siguro miscommunication,” the lanky stalwart told
One Sports.
Abando explained that the mix-up likely stemmed from his possession of two phones, one of which he no longer actively uses.
“Wala namang nag-message sa akin, so hindi ko lang alam. Pero may dalawang phone kasi ako,” he added.
“‘Yung isa, hindi ko na ginagamit, which is walang internet, so, ni-let go ko siya. Hindi ko siya ginagamit. Pero ‘yung contacts ko nilipat ko naman sa isa. Pero minsan nagse-send doon sa ano [isang phone].”
Abando also shared that he didn’t receive any updates from the side of Gilas: “‘Di ko lang alam, miscommunication. Pero nag-reach out kami two weeks after they started the bubble, wala naman silang inupdate sa akin.”
Despite the development, or lack thereof, Abando emphasized that he prioritized waiting for Gilas Pilipinas to release their final lineup before committing to Strong Group-Philippines for the 43rd Jones Cup in Taiwan.
“Syempre priority pa rin naman namin [Gilas]. Bago ako mag-commit dito sa Strong Group, inantay ko muna na ilabas ‘yung Final 12,” the former KBL champion bared.
Abando last played for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, seeing action in all five games.
The current free agent says he’s always ready to play for the national team, but is content to cheer for the squad for now as Gilas Pilipinas look to catch a last-minute entry to the Olympic Games in Paris via the FIBA OQT.
“Ako, always ready naman [to play for Gilas Pilipinas],” Rhenz said.
“Naging teammates ko naman sila eh, so, good luck lang. Alam ko namang kaya nila yan. Mag-tiwala lang sila sa isa’t isa and knowing ‘yung mga nandoon, alam ko ‘rin namang deserve nila lahat ng nandoon.”
Gilas Pilipinas advanced to the semifinals and will take on Brazil on Saturday, July 6, at 8:30 p.m. It will air LIVE on One Sports, PBA Rush, RPTV, and Pilipinas Live.