Clarkson, Brownlee Headline 21-Man Gilas Pool for FIBA World Cup

The Philippine national basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, is gearing up for the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup with an impressive 21-man roster. Led by NBA veterans Jordan Clarkson and Andray Blatche, the squad also features some of the country's top players including Poy Erram, Paul Lee, Gabe Norwood, and June Mar Fajardo.

The announcement was made by Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) President Al Panlilio on Wednesday. He noted that the team will be coached by Yeng Guiao and that there are still three spots left open for additional players.

The 21-man pool consists of professional players from both the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL). It includes Japeth Aguilar, Beau Belga, Chris Tiu, Marcio Lassiter, Matthew Wright, Kiefer Ravena, CJ Perez, Robert Bolick, Stanley Pringle, Vic Manuel, Mark Barroca, Alex Cabagnot, JP Erram, Raymond Almazan, Troy Rosario and Christian Standhardinger.

Clarkson and Blatche were naturalized last year to play for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers. Both have been playing professionally in the NBA since 2014 and are expected to be major contributors for the team in their upcoming tournament.

The FIBA Basketball World Cup will take place from August 31 to September 15 in China. Gilas Pilipinas will face Italy on August 31st in their opening game. They will then go up against Serbia on September 2nd before concluding their group stage matches against Angola on September 4th. 

With a strong roster and a talented coaching staff behind them, Gilas Pilipinas is looking to make a mark at this year's FIBA World Cup. With two NBA stars leading the way, they could very well surprise some of the other teams in the tournament.