Gilas Pilipinas pursues Kouame for FIBA November window

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

 

Gilas Pilipinas is currently monitoring the status of Angelo Kouame after confirming that his naturalization is already in process.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) special assistant to the president Ryan Gregorio confirmed the development and is currently trying to beat the deadline before the second window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.

With coach Tab Baldwin likely to lead Gilas in November, choosing Kouame over the likes of Justin Brownlee and Chris McCullough was a quick decision to make for him.

The Philippine national team only has 1 month left of preparation before going to war again in FIBA and they will be back-stopped by the collegiate stars.

Gilas was forced to include non-PBA players after the national league resumed their season with strict health and safety protocols inside a bubble.

As time runs out, what can coach Baldwin and the addition of Kouame do to prepare Gilas for a good outing in their first game amid the COVID-19 pandemic?