Dalph Panopio (9) is back with Gilas Pilipinas after six years, following a “tedious back and forth” to build the national team’s SEA Games lineup. The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas on Thursday (Dec. 4, 2025) described the process of forming the Gilas Pilipinas team after SEA Games host Thailand banned naturalized players. (Photo courtesy of PBA Images)
What should have been a straightforward mission to finalize the Gilas Pilipinas 5×5 men’s basketball roster for the Southeast Asian Games turned into a full-blown scramble, with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) describing the process as nothing short of “tedious.”
Gilas had a solid 12-man lineup locked in as early as September. But everything unraveled when Thailand’s shifting eligibility rules threw the entire tournament into uncertainty. Suddenly, major adjustments had to be made — and fast.
Complicating matters even further was Abra’s unexpected run to the MPBL National Finals. With its Big 3 of initial Gilas call-ups Geo Chiu, Jason Brickman, and Dave Ildefonso needed by their MPBL mother team, the SBP was forced back to the drawing board, as the league’s Finals schedule directly overlaps with the SEA Games basketball competition beginning Dec. 13.
What followed was a frantic nationwide search for replacements. After days of back-and-forth and last-minute negotiations, Gilas finally completed its new roster: Jamie Malonzo, Dalph Panopio, Thirdy Ravena, Matthew Wright, Ray Parks, Ced Manzano, Justin Chua, Robert Bolick, Von Pessumal, Allen Liwag, Abu Tratter, and Veejay Pre.
Ravena, Wright, Parks, and Pre were the only holdovers from the original lineup that included Brickman, Ildefonso, Justin Brownlee, Ange Kouame, Remy Martin, Mike Phillips, Kymani Ladi, and Brandon Rosser.
But the biggest blow came from Thailand’s sudden imposition of a “no naturalized player rule.” Brownlee and Kouame — Gilas’ usual anchors — were abruptly barred from the 5×5 roster. To salvage the situation, the SBP reassigned Kouame to the men’s 3×3 squad, where naturalized players are allowed.
He joins Magnolia’s Joseph Eriobu, Mindoro’s Joseph Sedurifa, and FEU star Janrey Pasaol — a rare mix of PBA, MPBL, and UAAP talent competing together.
The eligibility crackdown didn’t end there. Thailand’s rule banning players of mixed descent who received their Philippine passports after age 16 also removed Martin, Phillips, Ladi, and Rosser from contention. It triggered another roster overhaul that saw the SBP call up Malonzo, Bolick, Pessumal, Tratter, and initially Chiu.
But once Abra swept Pangasinan in the MPBL North Division Finals, even Chiu, Brickman, and Ildefonso had to be released from Gilas duty. With just days left, the SBP scrambled again — and was saved by the timely commitments of Panopio, Manzano, Chua, and NCAA standout Allen Liwag.
There was even a late pitch to bring in Poy Erram, but Gilas coach Norman Black ultimately opted for Liwag — the same player he scouted heavily as San Beda’s team consultant during the NCAA Final Four.
“After a tedious back and forth due to initially unclear and constantly changing rules in player eligibility, we at the SBP have submitted this list to the local organizing committee,” the federation said Thursday, hours after the POC confirmed the final roster for Bangkok.
The SBP also acknowledged the delicate timing, with San Beda and St. Benilde locked in a heated NCAA Final Four, and Bolick’s NLEX squad chasing a twice-to-beat slot in the PBA Philippine Cup. Even so, the federation credited all parties for choosing flag over club.
“We extend our deepest appreciation to all the players for dropping everything to compete for Gilas. We thank our partners from the PBA, UAAP, and NCAA, and our friends from the Japanese B-League for allowing their players to compete for flag and country.”
Gilas joins Malaysia and Vietnam in Group A. The Philippines gets an opening-day bye before playing Malaysia and Vietnam on Dec. 14 and 15. Only the top team per group earns an automatic semifinal berth, with the next two advancing to crossover quarterfinals. No team in Group A will be eliminated after the group stage, while only one squad from Group B — Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, or Myanmar — gets the early exit.
The semifinals will be knockout crossovers, with winners battling for gold and the losers competing for bronze. A fifth-place game on Dec. 19 ensures quarterfinal losers still end their campaign with something at stake.
From a stable original roster to a frantically rebuilt final 12, Gilas’ SEA Games journey has already begun with adversity. Now the question is whether this patched-together squad can pull off a golden finish despite the chaos that shaped it.