By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Gilas Pilipinas’ no. 1 3×3 basketball superstar is back in the big stage.
Almond Vosotros, the current scoring leader of the PBA 3×3 league and the skipper of several Gilas 3×3 teams during the past international tournaments, will be tasked to reclaim the gold medal in the upcoming 2023 Southeast Asian Games.
The full roster of the Philippine delegation was released last May 1, 2023, with Vosotros leading the pack together with veterans Joseph Eriobu, Lervin Flores, and Joseph Sedurifa.
This was the best team that Gilas was able to put up and was also the exact lineup that won fourth place during the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup.
With Vosotros spearheading the 3×3 team, the national squad will be expected to come out firing from all cylinders.
Eriobu, Vosotros’ nemesis in the PBA 3×3 league, will again reinforce the team and is hoping to replicate his steady production during their campaign last year in the FIBA Asia Cup.
Meanwhile, Flores and Sedurifa will be the team’s stabilizers and are expected to put up points on board when Vosotros takes a seat for a breather.
The Gilas 3×3 squad will be kicking off their SEA Games campaign on May 6, 2023 and was slotted with Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia in their bracket.
This is a crucial return of Gilas in the SEA Games’ 3×3 scene after only finishing third place during the last edition.
The team composed of Jorey Napoles, Reymar Caduyac, Marvin Hayes, and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser failed to advance to the gold medal round.
This 2023 team will be mentored by seasoned tactician Lester Del Rosario who also led several 3×3 teams in the past for Gilas.
