MANILA — Dwight Ramos and AJ Edu will sit out Gilas Pilipinas' title defense in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games this September.
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) announced the development on Tuesday, explaining that Ramos and Edu are set to fulfill their B.League club duties with Levanga Hokkaido and Gumma Crane Thunders, respectively.
Ramos and Edu are set to face each other in the Manila games of the Japanese tournament on September, which coincides with the schedule of the Asiad.
"I think it's safe to say that Dwight and AJ [are not playing for Gilas] because they are playing in the Manila B.League Games on September 9 and 10. Conflict na agad sa schedule ng Asian Games kaya 'di sila makakasama," said Erika Dy, executive director of the SBP, during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum on Tuesday.
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In a separate interview, the basketball executive added that while missing Ramos and Edu's services is "worrisome," player availability is a common issue not just being experienced by the Philippines.
"Siyempre naman [because] they are big parts, they have big roles in our core group sa Gilas program. And if you talk to coach Tim [Cone], he will always tell you that his biggest challenge is always player availability," said Dy.
"But that's something normal and something [that] we have to be prepared for all the time, because it's something that's not unique to the Philippines," she added.
Dy added that Justin Brownlee is still set to play for Gilas, which is the preference of Gilas head coach Tim Cone.