MANILA, Philippines – PBA officer-in-charge Willie Marcial has not been shy about his hope that the player limit for the national team will soon be lifted.

A previous agreement between the PBA and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) required franchises to lend two players – one veteran and one cadet – to Gilas Pilipinas. Marcial is hopeful that soon, that will change.

"Sana, payagan ng teams na wala ng limit sa players," Marcial said during an appearance in the PSA Forum last week. "Kahit ilan. Kasi ang limit ngayon, one cadet and one veteran."

"Sana, mawala na 'yun. Kung ilan ang kailangan, sana pumayag ang teams, kasi malaking bagay sa Gilas 'yun," he added.

• READ: PBA OIC Marcial hopes to remove player limit when it comes to Gilas

That this is on the table is surely good news for the Gilas program, especially as this particular issue has been the cause of much strife in past years.

However, national team head coach Chot Reyes does not want to become too optimistic, especially as nothing has been made final.

"It's a possibility," Reyes told reporters after Monday's practice. "But I can't get excited about possibilities."

Reyes may have been measured in his response, but Gilas team manager Butch Antonio acknowledged that Marcial's initiative can only mean good things for the program.

"It just reaffirms the commitment, and we're very happy both as Gilas and as SBP that the PBA, the premier league, is open to anything or being more flexible with what the Gilas program will need, is needing, has needed," said Antonio.

"I think that is something to look forward to, more than anything else," he added.

Antonio is just hoping that this change will be formalized sooner rather than later.

"If it indeed is formal, then (it's) pretty exciting times. You can really now form the best team possible, at any given time," he added.

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