Sean Anthony happy to serve as ‘warm body’ for SEAG-bound Gilas

NLEX forward Sean Anthony is no spring chicken anymore, but he still has the youthful zest that Gilas Pilipinas sorely needs with just a week to go before the start of the Southeast Asian Games men’s basketball hostilities in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

At 37, Anthony should have been resting in the offseason and managing his physical activities to pace himself and prepare for the PBA grind with NLEX under coach Frankie Lim.

Instead, the 6-foot-4 do-it-all Filipino-American forward spent his days lending a helping hand as an extra “warm body” for Gilas in practice just before the national squad left on Sunday for its training camp at Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna.

“Of course if I can help with these guys to prepare them and to be on the scout team or get extra reps, be able to play 5-on-5, at least I can serve the country and team that way,” Anthony said in an interview recently with Playitright TV, a Youtube sports channel co-hosted by Quinito Henson and Dyan Castillejo.

While the Gilas pool had 28 players on it, injuries among others, hounded the team’s preparation for the biennial games. National coach Chot Reyes also had to wait for the conclusion of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals between Barangay Ginebra and TNT, before he could really go full swing in training since several members of the pool came from these two squads.

In the end, Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson and Jamie Malonzo had to beg off for personal or family reasons, while sharp-shooter Roger Pogoy sustained a fracture right pinky during the Finals. TNT big man Poy Erram was also a late scratch so he could fully recover from a knee injury he had early this year.

For Anthony, being an added warm body for the embattled Gilas squad is his way of serving the country as the national team tries to reclaim the gold medal the Philippines lost during last year’s edition in Hanoi, Vietnam following a narrow 81-85 decision to eventual champion Indonesia.

“I think the core group, the guys we’ve had for four practices with 10 guys, so other guys are kinda new, so just need to get them on the same page just likme what coach Tim says. It’s all about doing things together and try to do the right spacing concepts, the right timing, the right movement patterns and what not,” he added.

Unknown to many, Anthony was an original member of the pool of the first Smart Gilas team back in 2009 under then Serbian coach Rajko Toroman, having been invited to the camp held in Las Vegas.

The Smart Gilas squad back then include collegiate standouts JVee Casio, Mark Barroca, Mac Baracael, Greg Slaughter, Aldrech Ramos, Dylan Ababou, along with Filipino-Americans Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz.

But he didn’t get deep into national team since training in Las Vegas, and eventually finding his way into the PBA where he wound up as the sixth overall pick of Air21 in the 2010 Rookie Draft.

Before turning pro, Anthony earned a reputation as a solid defensive player, though he also excelled on offense, after finishing as McGill’s fourth all-time leading scorer with an average 12.1 points in 152 games overall.

With Anthony heading to what could probably be the tailend of his long, fruitful pro career, it’s just his hope to still be able to wear the Philippine jersey if possible, and that’s the reason why he offered his services to help Gilas

“I messaged coach Chot, and I kinda wanted to get involved in the program again as I look to wrap up my career soon, so if there’s a role or opportunity, let me know; and he said we needed some bodies at practice,” he shared.

“It’s been an honor to serve the country and help the team prepare.”