GILAS OPENS BID VS MALAYSIA
14 December 2025
BANGKOK—Poy Erram was tagged as a last-minute replacement for Gilas Pilipinas ahead of its opening match against Malaysia in men’s basketball of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games on Sunday at Nimibutr Stadium here.
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas confirmed the inclusion of the TNT Tropang 5G to the 12-man roster in lieu of College of St. Benilde star Allen Liwag, who has been bothered by a shoulder injury throughout the NCAA Season 88 campaign.
SBP executive director Erika Dy confirmed that Erram was due to arrive in this Thai capital on Saturday and will suit up for the 11:30 a.m. local time (12:30 p.m. Manila time) contest with the Malaysians.
“Poy brings a lot of veteran presence to our team, and I think he will help us in terms of size that we lost due to the eligibility rules,” said Gilas coach Norman Black. “So Poy will be coming in to help us, particularly on the defensive end.”
Black said Erram was an active part of the Gilas preparation for the biennial meet, which saw the team scramble following multiple changes due to the decision to impose a ban on naturalized players and those, who failed to secure a passport before the age of 16.
Aside from Erram, Gilas tapped four other PBA players in Robert Bolick of NLEX, Von Pessumal of Titan Ultra and the Blackwater tandem of rookie Dalph Panopio and Abu Tratter.
Ray Parks Jr. took a break from his B.League duties with Osaka Evessa to join Gilas, along with free agents Jamie Malonzo, Matthew Wright, Thirdy Ravena and Justin Chua, plus Adamson center Cedrick Manzano and University of the Philippines redshirt Veejay Pre.
Gilas arrived two days earlier in a really interesting manner as its bus bogged down in the middle of the highway and had to wait 30 minutes for a replacement to arrive.
But all’s been good for the team as it gears up for a matchup with Malaysia in Group A that also has Vietnam. Group B is composed of host Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Myanmar.
The group winners progress to the semis, while the second and third placers need to go through a qualification round.
