Last spot a toss-up between Rivero and Trollano

SOURCE: MANILA BULLETIN

Ricci Rivero (L) and Don Trollano (R) (photo by Joaquin Flores)

Will it be Riccie Rivero? Or will it be Don Trollano?

With 11 players already assured of slots, the fight for the 12th and last spot in the national team is now down to Rivero and Trollano for the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games in Indonesia.

Rivero, a standout for the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, and Trollano, a PBA veteran who played for Rain or Shine and is now with TNT KaTropa, are part of the 14-man training pool.

“We’ll decide Thursday night after our last practice session, it’s either Ricci or Don,” said national team coach Yeng Guiao. “I’ll talk to the coaching staff, then we’ll make a decision of the 12th player.”

Kobe Paras, also an incoming player of UP, has already been cut by Guiao after missing several practice sessions due to sickness, leaving Rivero as the remaining amateur player on the list.

Guiao likes the athleticism of the 6-foot-3 Rivero, but Trollano is familiar with Guiao’s system having played for him when they were still with the Rain or Shine franchise two years ago.

“I think that’s the advantage of Don, but Ricci has a big upside,” said Guiao.

“The problem is familiarity with the plays. We’ll just expose him and not be bale to maximize his talent,” he said.

The players already in the roster of Guiao in the Asian Games includes the ROS players, namely Gabe Norwood, Chris Tiu, Beau Belga, Raymond Almazan, Maverick Avanmisi and former two-time PBA MVP James Yap.

The other players of Guiao are Magnolia’s Paul Lee, NLEX’s Asi Taulava, Stanley Pringle of GlobalPort, San Miguel Beer’s Christian Standhardinger and Blackwater’s JP Erram.

The Rain or Shine-backed national team leave for Indonesia on Sunday, four days before the Filipinos play powerhouse China at the Istora Gelora Bung Karno gym in Jakarta.

Aside from getting acclimatized with the weather and food, the members of the national team will have to finalize documentations with the Indonesia Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC).

“They’ve asked the team to arrive early because of some paperwork they need to finalize for the Asian Games,” said Rain or Shine team manager Edison Oribiana in a phone interview Thursday.

“Of course, arriving early in Jakarta on Sunday will give coach Yeng Guiao and the team a few days to prepare for our first game and adjust to weather, food and other things,” he added.