MANILA, Philippines – A new face and an old reliable seek to make their presence felt as Gilas Pilipinas tangles with Qatar in the sixth and final window of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers. 

Thirdy Ravena and Mark Barroca made the 12-man lineup as the Filipinos take on the Qataris in Doha on Thursday, February 21 (Friday, February 22, Philippine time). 

The 22-year-old Ravena will debut for the senior team in the away match, while Barroca, a member of the original Gilas crew, will see action for the national squad for the first time since 2011. 

Joining the two are Andray Blatche, Jayson Castro, June Mar Fajardo, Gabe Norwood, Japeth Aguilar, Marcio Lassiter, Poy Erram, Troy Rosario, Scottie Thompson, and Paul Lee. 

Raymond Almazan was left out of the final lineup, while Roger Pogoy is still ineligible to play as he serves the last of his five-game FIBA suspension. They could still see action in another road game against Kazakhstan on February 24. 

The match against Qatar is scheduled at 7 pm on Thursday in Doha (12 am, Friday in the Philippines). 

– Rappler.com