FIBA World Cup 2019: 5 Team Pilipinas players to look out for

Gilas Pilipinas will once again face tough competition as they battle it out against Italy (#13), Serbia (#4), and Angola (#39) in the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

Philippines' first game will be on August 31 against Italy, a team that will feature NBA players Marco Belinelli and Danilo Gallinari. They will then tough it out with powerhouse Serbia on September 2 – the team expected to be the winner of the group – with center Nikola Jokic, sharpshooter Bogdan Bogdanovic, big-man Boban Marjanovic, and point guard Milos Teodosic. Pilipinas' last stop will be against Angola, the top team of FIBA Africa.

This year, Team Pilipinas will have a mixture of veterans and up-and-coming Filipino cagers who will need to tough it out without Asia's best point guard Jason Castro and sharpshooters Matthew Wright and Marcio Lassiter. Castro opted out of the competition to focus on his family, while Wright and Lassiter are out because of injuries.

Still, the Gilas Pilipinas roster has some players that could surprise other teams in the group stage. With that, here are five players that teams should look out for as Team Pilipinas fights for a spot in the next round.

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#5 Andray Blatche

Andray Blatche in one of his stints with Gilas Pilipinas

Of course, center Andray Blatche will still be a great presence both inside and outside the paint. Blatche, who started his stint with the Philippines National Team in the 2014 World Cup has been a star player of Gilas since.

In the last World Cup, the 6'11 center averaged 21.2 points, 13.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.8 blocks, helping the team mark their first World Cup win since 1974 as they defeated Senegal in the group stages. Blatche was also key to what could've been one of the biggest upsets in FIBA history against Croatia (where the Philippines lost by seven points in overtime), Argentina (lost by four points), and Puerto Rico (lost by four points again).

Although the center will now be much older than the last World Cup at 33 years old, he is still a force to be reckoned with as he has consistently been the leading scorer of Team Pilipinas and has led the team to the SEABA gold medal finish and the FIBA Asia silver medal.

Currently, the ex-NBA player is playing in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) where he is averaging 25.6 points, 10.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 2.4 steals a game.

Blatche may now be a step slower, but he will definitely still be a huge problem with his paint-scoring and defensive presence. After all, he and Gilas Pilipinas are the current leaders in shots blocked in Asia.

#4 Gabe Norwood

Norwood dunks on Luis Scola in the 2014 World Cup

Gabe Norwood, the high-flying guard/forward will now be Team Pilipinas' captain this FIBA World Cup. Norwood was a key player in the 2014 FIBA World Cup as he was Gilas' defensive anchor in the squad's run in the group rounds.

In the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup, Norwood scored 5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game while playing 26.8 minutes per contest. His stat line, however, does not fully demonstrate his importance to the team. Norwood is an elite perimeter player who can be trusted to defend the opponent's best player. He is also a well-respected leader for Team Pilipinas, hence the captain in his name.

Expect him to show flashes of aggressiveness to attack the rim when teammates' shots don't fall. Expect him to posterize someone at least once in the competition. Expect him to shoot a couple of timely shots when a teammate is double-teamed. Expect his feistiness and grit to influence his teammates on the defensive end. Most of all, when things get rough, expect him to stay level-headed as he keeps his team's emotions in check.

#3 Kiefer Ravena

Kiefer Ravena (1) in one of his stints with the team

The 6'0 guard will have some big shoes to fill as Asia's two-time top point guard, Jason Castro William, opted out of the team to focus on his family.

Ravena is coming from an 18-month suspension after failing drug tests conducted by WADA. He was tested positive for methylhexanamine, 1,3-Dimethylbutylamine and higenamine –substances that he claimed he wasn't aware were in a workout aid that he consumed.

However, Coach Yeng Guiao's selection of Kiefer in the final 12-man pool despite his long-term absence is pretty telling. The coach and the team fully trust the young guard, even having gained the respect of the team's veterans who already see him as a leader.

In Gilas Pilipinas' second tuneup game against the Adelaide 39ers, the young stud entered the game with the team trailing the 39ers 13-29. The young guard didn't seem to miss a beat as he immediately scored 7 straight points to cut the deficit to a single digit. Ravena eventually finished the game with 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal in just 17 minutes of action.

This shouldn't come as a surprise, as the 25-year-old has been thriving in national and international competitions since he was a kid. From 2011 to 2015, Ravena and his fellow Gilas Cadets won three straight gold medals in the SEA games.

He has only improved ever since as he led his college team to four Final Four appearances, two of which ended in a championship. He was a top rookie in his class in 2017, even scoring 20 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals in one of his first few games as a professional basketball player.

Sure, he isn't The Blur, but his basketball IQ and leadership is something to look out for this FIBA World Cup. He is an unselfish player who is a good shooter and an even a better finisher around the rim. These, together with that extra fire he has from being away from the game for so long, will surely be monumental to the team's performance in this World Cup.

#2 Christian Jaymar "CJ" Perez

CJ Perez (right) in the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge (Image: FIBA)

CJ Perez is probably one of the surprises for this Gilas squad, as he steps in for injured players Matthew Wright and Marcio Lassiter.

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) rookie is coming from an impressive college career, leading his team, the Lyceum of the Philippines University, to their first-ever Finals appearance in the NCAA since 1987 after sweeping the competition 18-0. Throughout that historic season, he averaged 19.3 points per game, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists.

Although the 6'2 guard and his teammates lost in the Finals, they would eventually exact revenge against San Beda and win the championship in the off-season. Perez and his squad won the trophy in the 2018 Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL), where the feisty guard was heralded as the MVP.

Perez has proven his basketball prowess as his game translated well from college to the PBA, and now to the international scene. In just his first game in his club team, Columbian Dyip, he scored 26 points, showing no signs of rookie jitters.

The athletic guard has still arguably flown under the radar as he has only been selected to compete internationally once. However, in his only international stint, he averaged 9.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in just 12 minutes of action in the FIBA Asia Challenge.

'Baby Beast', as he has been called, is a feisty defender and an aggressive rim-attacker. He is also a great rebounder and a fearless offensive player. These traits and his athleticism coupled with his mental toughness will more than compensate for whatever experience he may lack.

#1 Robert Bolick Jr.

Bolick during Gilas Pilipinas' tuneup in Spain (Image: SBP)

Another surprise for the final 12-man lineup is fellow rookie Robert Bolick, who is also coming from an impressive collegiate career and an even more impressive rookie year.

Bolick led his team to three NCAA championships, one of which included an upset against now-teammate CJ Perez. Despite facing a team that had swept the regular season 18-0, Bolick and his squad won the championship where he also earned the nickname, "Beastmode Bolick" because of his hot shooting and timely dimes.

Bolick was selected as part of the 2018 NCAA Philippines Mythical Team while also being the scoring champion the same year. He also led the league in assists the year prior, showing his good decision-making skills as a point guard.

In Bolick's professional debut, he scored 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting while also grabbing three rebounds and three dimes in just 36 minutes of action, a franchise record for most points by a PBA rookie in a debut.

In Gilas Pilipinas' tune-up game against Congo, the 6'1 guard was unfazed as he aggressively scored 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting and grabbed 6 rebounds.

Bolick is a level-headed young player who can get buckets without hesitation. He can either attack the rim or stretch the floor for Gilas. He has yet to show what he can do in the international scene, and with this being his FIBA debut, his hot shooting and timely dimes won't be the only surprise for Group D.