MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas has yet to hear from Ray Parks as the TNT guard continues to negotiate with the KaTropa for the upcoming PBA season. 

The second-generation star was missing in action when the 24-man national team kicked off its preparation for the first window of FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers.

“Everybody knows Ray is a bit in limbo right now with his basketball issues,” said Gilas Pilipinas program director Tab Baldwin on Thursday, February 6. 

TNT team manager Gabby Cui confirmed the KaTropa are still in talks with the talented 6-foot-4 guard, who’s negotiating a new deal after his two-conference contract with Blackwater, which was assumed by TNT following a trade, lapsed. 

Parks was traded to TNT in the middle of the Governors’ Cup and helped the KaTropa reach the semifinals before they fell to Meralco in 7 games.

Baldwin, though, said Parks is part of their plans, especially since they are following the blueprint set by Tim Cone when he led the national team to a gold-medal finish in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

Cone chose familiarity over firepower when he built his team around his core of Barangay Ginebra players and fortified it with proven PBA veterans. 

The national team will do the same, this time though, with players from TNT, NLEX, and Ateneo – which are all associated with the MVP group. 

“We want him here, we want him a part of this effort, we want him part of this culture. But at this point, he is not,” Baldwin said of Parks. – Rappler.com