To the relief of national team coaches, Barangay Ginebra’s Japeth Aguilar completed COVID-19 requirements in time to join Gilas Pilipinas for the next window of FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers.

Aguilar, a fixture of the national team program, just recently returned to Gilas practice following a negative COVID-19 test result. According to Aguilar’s wife, Cassandra, he and his family were quarantined for eight days. The Ginebra forward was finally named to the Gilas 13-man squad for the game against Lebanon and traveled to Beirut with the national team in the early hours of Tuesday.

When asked about Aguilar during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum, Sonny Barrios, spokesperson for the Samahang Basketbol Pilipinas (SBP), replied, “Talagang gusto siya nila Coach Chot [Reyes] sa line-up.”
“Malaking development na makakasama siya, dahil talagang kursunadang-kursunada siya ni Coach Chot at ng coaching staff,” he continued. “Of course, lalo na si Tim Cone, bata siya ni Tim Cone.”

Barrios told us that Aguilar had no lingering affects after his match against COVID-19 and that the player was being constantly examined by the Gilas medical staff.

“Maayos na siya, nag-iingat lang tayo,” he explained. “Hindi naman anything bothersome or major.”

Aguilar, 35, is a senior figure on a Gilas squad that is rather youthful and has a few rookies. Along with Kai Sotto and Carl Tamayo, he is expected to anchor the frontcourt.

Gilas might very well play Lebanon on August 25 before returning to Manila to face Saudi Arabia on August 29.