After the head of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas told the public that Andray Blatche will not be the reinforcement of our national team, the next Gilas naturalized player has been a very hot topic to Filipino basketball fans.
Three names have emerged as the candidates for the spot. The first one was Justin Brownlee who has been helping Brgy. Ginebra in the last four PBA seasons. Congressman Mikee Romero, Enrico Pineda, Scott Lanete and Eric Aumentado authored House Bill 8016, seeking to grant Filipino citizenship to Justin Brownlee.
The second name was Chris McCullough who helped San Miguel Beermen prevail in the most recent PBA Commissioner's Cup. No bill has been submitted for his naturalization.
The youngest name in the pool is Ange Kouame of the Ateneo Blue Eagles. Congressman Robbie Puno filed House Bill 5951, seeking to grant Filipino Citizenship to Ange.
Ange's name has been the most criticized out of the three because he doesn't have the credentials that Justin and Chris have. He is only dominating UAAP while Justin and Chris have proven themselves on a higher level.
The biggest fear it seems of the fans is the possibility that Tab Baldwin, the current head of the Gilas program, will prioritize giving him more minutes because Tab is, of course, the coach of Ange in Ateneo.
According to coach Tab, the biggest plus point for the 20 years old cager is his availability. With the FIBA window scattered now, I do agree with him that is good to have a naturalized player who is always prepared to help us.
I also agree with having a pool of naturalized players so that Gilas will have more options. But, if we will already have more options, I do not think that Ange's availability is much of a plus. If we at least have three in the pool, there is a good chance that at least one of them is always available.
One more thing, I am not the biggest fan of Ange's game for Gilas. His playing style is so traditional at this point that Gilas will not be able to pair non-shooters with him. He is not also a playmaker, which means our local players will handle the job of breaking down the defense.
So, should Gilas naturalize Kouame?
Our biggest priority now is the 2023 FIBA World Cup and I do not think Ange is prepared at that point. So, I would rather choose another one, who is more seasoned and who is a better fit to a modern system.
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