Powerade Team Pilipinas will finally get a closer look on Japeth Aguilar, the former Ateneo stalwart who will arrive on June 26 to play for the Yeng Guiao-mentored national team.

Guiao said he got the confirmation from Peter Aguilar, Japeth’s father who played pro basketball in  the 90s. The young Aguilar has been invited by Jim Kelly, the Toronto Raptors’ Director of Player Personal, to attend the National Basketball Developmental League pre-Draft Camp set June 19 to 21.

Guiao has reserved a slot for the 6-foot-10 Aguilar in the national team that will play in the FIBA-Asia Championship in Tianjin, China on Aug. 6 to 16.

The current RP pool has 14 PBA players although three members are still recovering from illness or injuries, Sta. Lucia Realty’s Kelly Williams (a blood illness) and teammate Ryan Reyes (hamstring), as well as Alaska’s Sonny Thoss (knee).

“For now we want to keep it to 15 players. Japeth will be the only addition. Huwag lang lalagpas ng tatlo yung injured players natin,” Guiao said.

The addition of Aguilar, 24, who played for Western Kentucky University, a division 1 school in the US NCAA, will definitely give the national team additional size and quickness as, even with his height, he can run the floor and play the wing position.

The RP team got lucky the other day during the draw in China for the groupings in the FIBA-Asia, where three slots will be up for grabs in the 2010 World Championship in Turkey.

The Philippines has been bracketed in Group A with Japan, Korea and Sri Lanka, which for local basketball officials is the “Group of Hope” and gives the country the best chance to qualify in the world meet.

“I think we have a good chance with the group to make it to the next round,” Guiao said. “We know Korea and Japan are no pushovers, so we’ll work very hard and scout them, we’ll do our homework. We’ll play these two teams in the Jones Cup.”

The Jones Cup, where Aguilar will also play, will be held next month in Taipei, which is some sort of a preview of the FIBA-Asia.

The other groupings are Iran, Chinese Taipei, Kuwait and Uzbekistan in Group B, host China has been in C with Kazhakstan, Qatar and India in C, while Group D has Lebanon, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan and Indonesia.