PREDICTION | THE GILAS PILIPINAS GUAM LINEUP

Gilas Pilipinas faces Guam on November 28. Right now, we have 18 names in the pool, but three are already out. Kai Sotto and Calvin Oftana are sidelined with injuries, and for Angelo Kouame to crack the lineup, Justin Brownlee would have to give up his spot — which clearly isn’t happening. Bennie Boatwright’s naturalization is still in progress, but that doesn’t mean our resident Justin Noypi is stepping aside.

So now, Coach Tim Cone still needs to trim the roster. As it stands, the available pool is: Brownlee, June Mar Fajardo, Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar, Jamie Malonzo, RJ Abarrientos, Troy Rosario, Chris Newsome, Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo, Kevin Quiambao, AJ Edu, Quentin Millora-Brown, CJ Perez, and Juan Gomez de Liano.

This is where I pretend to be Tim Cone — except the choices will also have a sprinkle of Sydrified logic.

Game starts now.

First rule: no playing Guam without a naturalized player. So Justin Brownlee? Automatic. After him, the second lock is his partner in crime: Dwight Ramos.

Now, I know June Mar has detractors, but with Kai unavailable, Cone needs size and reliability — which means Fajardo and AJ Edu stay. That brings us to the big-man dilemma: Japeth Aguilar or Quentin Millora-Brown? As much as it hurts my Japeth-loving heart, QMB makes the most basketball sense right now. Japeth tends to see limited minutes when the other bigs are active anyway, and chemistry is king — especially with QMB now plugged into the system.

PREDICTION

JUSTIN BROWNLEE	SG/SF
AJ EDU	PF/C
JUNE MAR FAJARDO	C
QUENTIN MILLORA-BROWN	PF
JUAN GOMEZ DE LIANO	PG/SG
JAMIE MALONZO	SF/PF
SCOTTIE THOMPSON	PG
DWIGHT RAMOS	SG/SF
CARL TAMAYO	SF/PF
CJAY PEREZ	PG/SG
KEVIN QUIAMBAO	SF/PF
CHRIS NEWSOME	PG/SG

RESERVES

RJ ABARRIENTOS	PG
TROY ROSARIO	PF
JAPETH AGUILAR	PF/C
KAI SOTTO	C
CALVIN OFTANA	SF
ANGELO KOUAME	C

The same reasoning applies to Juan GDL. I’ve said this over and over — my issue with UAAP foreign student-athletes isn’t that they exist, but the imbalance they create. Yes, they raise the level of competition, and in theory they push local talent. But in reality, FSAs tend to clog the development pipeline for our homegrown big men… and then leave after graduation. Guards and wings barely feel the trickle-down unless the import is someone with a Brownlee-type impact who can influence multiple roles.

That’s why Juan Gomez de Liano feels like a breath of fresh air. He’s a Phoenix — rising from whatever benchwarming limbo he suffered in previous national team stints — and he’s now straight-up hooping for Converge. If Gilas wants another angle, another tempo, another rhythm? A third point guard like Juan makes more sense to me than RJ. And honestly, adding him feels like the basketball version of an olive branch from the SMC–MVP power structure toward Converge/Strong Group Athletics. Let’s not forget: the Pineda influence spans the PBA, the international scene, and the grassroots level — and Pampanga basketball is a beast of its own.

The thing about RJ Abarrientos is this: his playmaking may not be on the same level as Juan GDL’s, but he has that microwave-scorer gene. When the offense collapses and everything looks chaotic, RJ can step in and create his own shot — the same way Terrence Romeo or Paul Lee did in earlier versions of Gilas. Sometimes you just hand him the ball and let him cook.

But here’s the catch — that style doesn’t always resonate with Tim Cone. It’s the same reason CJ Perez rarely logs heavy minutes in past lineups, why Rhenz Abando’s role remains unclear until he returns, and why someone like Juan Gomez de Liano fits better in Cone’s system. Cone values rhythm, structure, and intentional flow — not chaos scoring. And while RJ can absolutely win you games when he’s hot, the consistency and system fit that Juan brings may simply edge him out in this particular iteration of Gilas.

Now here’s where the decision gets tricky: Jamie Malonzo, Carl Tamayo, or Troy Rosario.

Malonzo hasn’t seen consistent minutes in international play, but he’s now focused purely on Gilas. Cone might reward that commitment, and if he plays well enough, maybe — just maybe — the PBA finally scraps the outdated three-year ban for international league players. Because come on: Japan and Korea aren’t the first leagues Filipinos have explored. Japeth, Ray Parks, and Kiefer tried the NBA route. Al Vergara, Froi Baguion, Patrick Cabahug, and Jerick Cañada found work in Southeast Asia. Filipinos playing abroad isn’t new — so why the attitude shift only now? Just because the players chose other leagues first and not the PBA, suddenly the league gets sensitive?

As for Troy Rosario — he arguably fits the role best as a versatile modern big. He’s tough, he’s physical, and he’s been key in past Gilas cycles under Chot Reyes. But roster-building isn’t just about fit — it’s also about managing relationships, roles, and long-term continuity. So for now, I’d keep Rosario as a reserve over CJ Perez and Malonzo. It hurts to say that, because people forget just how valuable Troy was for previous Gilas runs — but this current structure demands balance.

So those are my picks. And honestly? I wouldn’t mind being proven wrong about Rosario or any of the fringe choices. What matters is that whoever makes the final roster shows up, represents the flag with pride, and delivers — not just against Guam, but throughout the qualification window.

Here’s hoping they make us proud. Cheers.