GILAS PILIPINAS has done an excellent job introducing themselves to the world of basketball following their outstanding performance in the recently ended FIBA 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Riga, Latvia.
Before falling to Brazil, an NBA-player-led squad, Gilas stunned world-ranked No. 6 Latvia, leading by 26 points at one point in the game and beating them. The following day, they recovered from a 20-point deficit against Georgia, even leading in the fourth quarter.
Photo Courtesy: FIBA
Despite falling short of their aspirations of making it to the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Philippine team made a name for themselves, and proved how capable the team is to compete against the giants of the world.
With this performance, the nationals have received a lot of respect from various teams from European countries, indicating how potent this squad can be in the near future.
When it comes to how Gilas Pilipinas has grown, head coach Tim Cone deserves credit for developing this squad, the system they use, and how he manages his players by maximizing their abilities.
Tim Cone is the man
In January 2024, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) announced that the winningest tactician from Barangay Ginebra will be named the permanent head coach of the Philippines men’s basketball team.
Before Cone sat down and accepted the job coaching offer for the national team, Gilas was adrift without an identity, having lost multiple tournaments in a row.
However, the brilliant tactician turned things around the moment he seized the role. Gilas won gold at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023, breaking a 60-year drought.
Photo Courtesy: POC-PSC
The team is now the top seeded team following the first round of FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers, thanks to a landslide victory against Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei in February.
Indeed, it was the watershed moment that Filipino basketball fans had been waiting for, as seen by the team’s development over the course of a few months of playing together under the highly regarded tactician’s system.
Despite the team’s overall strong performance in multiple competitions, Cone wants more for the country, as indicated by his enthusiasm and dedication to bringing honor to the flag rather than settling for “learning experiences.”
‘Almost isn’t good enough’ for Cone
Gilas Pilipinas may have turned heads and brought attention to the country with their impressive performance in the FIBA OQT, but Cone isn’t one to sit back and relish the team’s unfinished business.
The head coach, however, confessed that they did not expect to make it past the elimination phase, but were determined to win once they began playing in Riga.
“You know, it’s funny how we didn’t expect to be here. But then, when we got here, we expected to win. It’s very painful that we didn’t,” said Cone during the postgame interview of their match against Brazil.
“We’re trying to tell ourselves that almost isn’t good enough, you know. Almost winning, almost getting there, almost that… it’s not good enough. We gotta find a way to get over the hump and get there. Tonight, we didn’t do that.”
What’s next for Gilas?
Despite being disappointed at not being able to qualify for the Paris Games, Cone stated that he and his team believed they could compete at such a high level.
“It’s hard to talk about this right after you lose, but it’s a growth experience for us. It’s kind of like a ‘Now we know’ moment. Now we know we can compete,” said the PBA’s winningest mentor.
Photo Courtesy: FIBA
“Playing these kinds of tournaments where you’re playing three games in four days and it gets harder and harder every game, these are the things that we’ll need to adjust to. But like I said, we didn’t expect to be here but once we’re here, we expected to win.”
“We’re not gonna jump up and down and say: ‘Yehey, we did our thing and everybody was proud of us.’ Hopefully, that doesn’t get into our mindset. We need to keep pushing and move forward, getting better,” he added.
For the time being, the national team will return to their home country with their heads held high, boldly preparing and improving for next events with the expectation of being the stronger side.
Cone and his players will return to face the Filipino audience in November for the second round of Asia Cup qualifiers. Gilas Pilipinas will take on New Zealand and Hong Kong on the 21st and 24th, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
