THOUGHTS | DALPH PANOPIO AND CEDRICK MANZANO TO THE SEAG SQUAD

A couple of blogs ago, I mentioned that Cedrick Manzano should be in the conversation for Gilas. He just wrapped up his UAAP eligibility, and if he wants to boost his PBA Draft stock, what better avenue than a national team stint? Instead of taking a well-earned break, he suddenly finds himself blessed with an opportunity to represent the Philippines in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.

This is a great score for Norman Black, and not bad for the outgoing Adamson Soaring Falcon who wants to improve his PBA draft stock.

And who else got dragged into this “glorious” chaos, according to Spin.PH's Homer Sayson?

Blackwater’s Dalph Panopio.

Yessir!

In terms of current rookies, Panopio is basically the “lite” version of Juan Gomez de Liano—same vibes, same tools, just a slower upward curve compared to the Converge rookie. But don’t get it twisted. He’s no pushover. Panopio is a former NCAA Division I player and a Batang Gilas product. His PBA Draft entry was both unexpected and highly anticipated. And honestly, if the big-market PBA teams don’t pull typical big-market nonsense by poaching him from Blackwater the moment he levels up, he could be one of the cornerstones that transforms the Bossing into their rightful Alaska Aces spiritual successor.

Think about it: the team colors, the hard-working style of play, and even their coach, Jeffrey Cariaso, a member of Alaska’s grand slam squad. They’re giving off major post-Tim Cone Alaska Aces energy, the era of Luigi Trillo and Alex Compton.

This is why Gilas Pilipinas shouldn’t panic about finding players. The talent is there. What management should worry about is the real threat: our SEAG rivals stopping Gilas by blocking our players from competing.

This is also why I’ve never been a fan of FSAs in the UAAP—especially when we’re prioritizing height over style. We need more imports who play like Alex Compton, Kirk Long, Chris Clay, Justin Brownlee, or even explosive combo forward Ben Mbala—not just seven-footers whose mission is to "rebound and put back" and impose their hulked-up physiques.

People keep saying FSAs raise the level of competition, but this is also why Tim Cone admitted he’d still consider calling Japeth Aguilar in emergencies: sometimes you just need a big man who can clog the paint. At least NCAA bigs are thriving these days, but right now, the league is still unfairly treated as second-tier—even with several NCAA standouts making waves in the PBA.

As it stands, here’s my current depth chart:

	STARTING 5	CHIEF RELIEF	OTHERS
G	ROBERT BOLICK	DALPH PANOPIO
G	THIRDY RAVENA	VON PESSUMAL
F	MATTHEW WRIGHT	VEEJAY PRE
F	RAY PARKS	CEDRICK MANZANO	TBD
C	JAMIE MALONZO	ABU TRATTER	TBD

The glaring issue is size. They need more bodies inside—whether as paint protectors or physical buffers for our slashers. The good news is that Abu Tratter turns into a different beast internationally. People forget he was a key figure in past Gilas tournaments before joining the pros. He might quietly become this team’s secret weapon—unless we bring in additional bigs.

To address that gap, here are seven names I want to float:

• Troy Rosario (Ginebra)

• Juan Gomez de Liano (Converge)

• Greg Slaughter (free agent)

• Justin Arana (Converge)

• Justine Baltazar (Converge)

• Raymond Almazan (Meralco)

• Kirby Mongcopa (FEU)

• Christian David (Blackwater)

If it were up to me, I’d also love to bring in Janrey Pasaol, but size is the emergency right now.

Team Thailand clearly has something up their sleeve—there’s a reason they “DOTA-banned” our naturalized players and Fil-Ams. If they’re playing that game, we need to beef up our frontcourt and make sure they can’t push us around.

These look like solid additions to our cause, and I’m really hoping those last two names develop into elite-level finds.