GILAS Pilipinas will have to make do with an 11-man crew in the coming Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia.
Guard Scottie Thompson is the latest player to be stricken out of the national team as the former PBA MVP hasn't fully recovered yet from the bulging disc that has bothered him during Ginebra's campaign in the recently concluded Philippine Cup.
Team manager Richard Del Rosario confirmed the exclusion of the 30-year-old guard bound for the July 2-7 qualifier for the Paris Olympics.
Thompson now joins fellow injured players Jamie Malonzo and AJ Edu on the sidelines.
Owing to the proximity of the team's departure, Gilas may not likely find a last-minute replacement for Thompson.
Sponsored content: Reserves Japeth Aguilar and Amos Mason are the ones to take the place of Malonzo and Edu in the team.
"Wala pang sigurado (na kapalit) kasi kailangan ng visa. Baka hindi umabot," said Del Rosario Friday when the team began its three-day, closed-door training camp at the Inspire Sports Academy in Laguna.
Gilas is set to leave for Europe on Tuesday to play a pair of friendly against the national teams of Turkey and Poland.
The Philippines is bracketed with Georgia and Latvia in Group A, while Group B will have Cameroon, Brazil, and Montenegro during the qualifiers where only one team will advance to the Olympics.(RG)
