Japeth Aguilar welcomes the addition of young blood to the Gilas Pilipinas roster for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup

The Philippines men’s national basketball team is set to be in action very soon, as they will participate in the upcoming 2025 FIBA Asia Cup, scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, next month.

Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone, on Monday, July 7, unveiled the long list of players for the national team to comply with FIBA rules for international competitions. In addition to the usual mix of stars and veterans, the American tactician added depth and youth to the roster by including RJ Abarrientos, Troy Rosario, Zavier Lucero, and Rhenz Abando.

Gilas veteran and big man Japeth Aguilar welcomed the addition of younger players to the squad, saying it will be good to have fresh faces.

“Obviously, we know they are very talented. They’re young guys, so it’s good that we have some fresh guys,” Aguilar said in a media interaction.

Aguilar is familiar with Abarrientos and Rosario, having played with both at Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. What excites him most is the addition of versatile big man Zavier Lucero.

Gilas Pilipinas players gather for their first practice ahead of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup. Carl Tamayo, Dwight Ramos, Chris Newsome, Troy Rosario, CJ Perez, Jamie Malonzo, and Japeth Aguilar were among those present. pic.twitter.com/TtjdU3XAHq

— The Game Magazine (@thegamemagph) July 7, 2025

“There is a lot of potential in that kid. He’s versatile, and you really need that at the international level. He’s a two-way player who can play both offense and defense. He’s a perfect fit,” he added.

Zavier Lucero, meanwhile, gave the 38-year-old trouble during the 2025 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup, while Aguilar previously shared the court with Rhenz Abando for Gilas during the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Gilas Pilipinas is currently training for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup and is set to face the Macau Bears in a tune-up game on July 28 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as part of their tournament preparations.

Notably, this is not the first time Gilas has played a tune-up game ahead of an international competition—they also faced the Taiwan Mustangs last year prior to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga, Latvia.

Gilas has been drawn into Group D of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup alongside Iraq, New Zealand, and Chinese Taipei. They will open their campaign against Chinese Taipei on August 6 and are expected to depart for Jeddah at the end of July or the first week of August.

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