Injury, health protocols keeping Sangalang, Japeth from joining Gilas training

Ian Sangalang has been playing hurt all season long and that's one of the reasons why he has skipped the practices of Gilas Pilipinas.

Japeth Aguilar, the 6-foot-9 athletic forward, has been placed under the health and safety protocols and he has likewise missed the training sessions.

Considered essential to the national team's campaign, the two big men are among those being sidelined, as the team gears up for the coming fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

A source who requested anonymity told ABS-CBN News about this development.

Sangalang, the premier big man of the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, and Aguilar, a mainstay of the national team program, were added to the 24-man pool.

Leading the pool members are NBA star Jordan Clarkson, who arrived on Friday night, and 7-foot-3 center Kai Sotto from NBL Australia team Adelaide 36ers.

Also in the pool are six-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez from San Miguel Beer, Kevin Alas and Calvin Oftana from the NLEX Road Warriors, Jamie Malonzo and Robert Bolick from the NorthPort Batang Pier, Jio Jalalon from Magnolia, Scottie Thompson and Arvin Tolentino from Barangay Ginebra, and Chris Newsome, Allein Maliksi and Raymond Almazan from Meralco.

The non-PBA players are brothers Kiefer and Thirdy Ravena, Carl Tamayo, Dwight Ramos, Kevin Quiambao, Ray Parks, Francis Lopez and Roosevelt Adams.

The Ravena brothers, Parks and Ramos are star players seeing action in the Japan B. League while Tamayo, Lopez and Quiambao are UAAP standouts.

Adams, on the other hand, was released by his former PBA team Terrafirma last season.