By Rey Joble

PHILIPPINE men?s basketball team head coach Yeng Guiao has no plans of filling up the spot temporarily vacated by Kerby Raymundo.

The fiery Burger King mentor in the Philippine Basketball Association believes his ward will come back anytime soon.

?I have a feeling there?s still a big chance for Kerby to come back,? Guiao told Standard Today. ?He just needs time to think about his decision and I believe he just needs to take a rest to get himself ready mentally and physically in our tune-up matches and international tournaments lined up this year.?

Raymundo, according to Guiao, is a holdover of the previous national squad and he expects him to emerge as one of the leaders, alongside veterans Asi Taulava and Mick Pennisi.

The Powerade-backed RP men?s basketball team will play a visiting Sydney Spirit squad, a professional team from the National Basketball League in Australia, for an exhibition match slated April 3 to 5 at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Spirit will be bannered by former NBL Most Valuable Player and Sixth Man of the Year awardee Bruce Bolden and will be handled by Rob Beveridge, director of the Australian Institute of Sports.

After the tune-up games with the Aussies, the RP team plunges back to action in the PBA All-Star Game against the North and the South squads bolstered by imports from April 22 to 24.

The North team will be handled by coach Chot Reyes while the South squad will be mentored by Tim Cone. Both squads will have three imports each.

The RP team will also play in the Southeast Asia Basketball Association, the annual William Jones Cup in Taipei and the Fiba Asia Men?s Basketball Championship in China, which will serve as a qualifying event for the World Basketball Championship in Turkey next year.

In the exhibition matches, Guiao will use all his 14 players ? 15 once Japeth Aguilar comes in after his commitments with the Western Kentucky University in the US National Collegiate Athletic Association.