Troy Rosario added to Gilas Pilipinas pool amid Kai, KQ injuries

Barangay Ginebra wingman Troy Rosario became the latest addition to a depleted Gilas Pilipinas pool ahead of the third and final window of 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers next month.

National team head coach Tim Cone confirmed the development on Wednesday with the duo of Kai Sotto and Kevin Quiambao both dealing with injuries.

"Troy will join us for the Doha trip," Cone said, pertaining to Gilas' trip to Qatar, where they will hold a series of friendly games in preparation for the February window.

Rosario is tipped to provide additional scoring and height for Gilas with Sotto already ruled out due to an ACL injury while Quiambao is reportedly also out for some time due to a foot injury in their overseas stints.

Sotto confirmed last January 8 that he indeed sustained an ACL tear on his left knee during Koshigaya's loss to Mikawa in the Japan B. League while Quiambao suffered the injury during his Korean Basketball League debut for Goyang Sono last Sunday.

Both Sotto and Quiambao are key cogs for Gilas with the 7-foot-3 big man averaging 15.5 points and and team-high 12.5 rebounds while the reigning UAAP MVP is posting 11.0 markers, 4.7 boards, and 2.3 assists in the Asia Cup qualifiers.

Rosario, for his part, is no stranger to Gilas Pilipinas as he was a previous part of the program and played instrumental roles during the country's gold medal runs in the SEA Games from 2015 to 2019.

Familiarity will also not be an issue as he has been under Cone since the start of the ongoing PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup, where the former National University standout has been proving his worth to the Gin Kings.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News