Poy Erram of Gilas Pilipinas during the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup at the Istora Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. Photo from FIBA Basketball.(UPDATED) Poy Erram is set to officially make his Gilas Pilipinas return in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas announced Saturday morning that the veteran big man will replace Allen Liwag on the roster due to injury as they prepare for their bout against Malaysia on Sunday.
“This change has been approved by the organizers, and Erram will play against Malaysia tomorrow,” the SBP said.
It will be Erram’s first stint with Gilas in over two years after he previously announced his retirement from National team duties in 2023.
Meanwhile, Liwag is coming off a strong run with College of Saint Benilde in NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball, cementing himself as a prime contender for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the second straight year after leading the Blazers to the Final Four.
READ: Liwag crowned back-to-back MVP, Manalili is Rookie of the Year
According to SBP Executive Director Erika Dy, Erram will arrive in Bangkok on Saturday, and will be available for Gilas' game against Malaysia on Sunday morning.
"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.
The team endured a rough arrival, as their bus bogged down in the middle of a highway and had to wait 30 minutes for a replacement to arrive.
The situation has improved since, and Gilas is in high spirits ahead of their showdown against Malaysia in Group A, which also features 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.