Abueva, Romeo, Pringle present in Gilas practice

Twelve days into the opening of the 19th Asian Games, the Gilas side under interim coach Tim Cone has tapped veterans Calvin Abueva, Terrence Romeo, along with Stanley Pringle and Moala Tautuaa during the national squad's first practice on Monday, September 11 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

Abueva, at 35, remains a force to reckon with in the pro league. His energy and activity inside the court could be of great use for Cone since Gilas is in a race for time to prepare for the Asian Games.

An added scoring option for Cone is the 5-foot-10 Romeo, who is making a Gilas comeback since he last played for the national team against Australia and Chinese Taipei in the first window of the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

From left: Terrence Romeo, Stanley Pringle and Calvin Abueva FIBA PHOTOS

The two veteran PBA stars were both part of the Gilas squad that captured the silver medal in the 2015 FIBA Asia Cup in Changsa, China as well as the William Jones Cup in Taipei that same year.

Abueva and Romeo also played big roles in Gilas' gold medal conquest in the 2017 SEABA men's championships in Manila.

The two many-time PBA stars are expected to join June Mar Fajardo, Japeth Aguilar and Scottie Thompson, the three holdovers from the Gilas team that competed in the just-concluded 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila.

Other PBA players who were present in the Gilas practice include Calvin Oftana and Chris Newsome, the last cuts from the Gilas team in the World Cup, along with Phoenix Super LPG forward Jason Perkins, who'll more likely make his national team debut.

Naturalized players Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame were also present in practice.

Interestingly, Fajardo and Aguilar, who just finished their third World Cup stint, along with Pringle and Tautuaa played under Cone when Gilas swept the men's basketball tournament in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in Manila.

As of posting time, Cone has yet to release an official statement as far as Gilas' final roster.