A FEW DAYS after losing both of their assignments in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone addressed one of the most often raised concerns: pool expansion. 

Cone has come under fire from diehard Gilas Pilipinas fans following a string of dismal performances by the men’s national team from the Doha International Cup to the final window of the FIBA Asia qualifier.

With these losses, the team coached by the PBA’s winningest tactician lost four straight games in February. Not to mention, Gilas also lost Kai Sotto to an ACL injury, emphasizing the need to improve their frontcourt. 

It is probably not a good moment to question his system. However, one could argue that now is a good moment to shake up the current lineup. Is there a need to extend the existing pool? Cone weighs in.

Think About This

After winning the first game of their Qatar pocket tournment, the Filipinos were outscored 75-54 by a Wael Arakji-less Lebanon, then 86-55 by an Egypt squad that isn’t even competing in the Asian Cup. 

Gilas Pilipinas shrugged off their losses, saying that these games had no bearing on their FIBA status. Little do they know, it had a huge impact on their results versus Chinese Taipei (91-84), as well as New Zealand (87-70). 

Cone understands why the fans are pushing for roster changes. Despite the significant losses of the team, he will most likely stick with his roster, as extending a pool is significantly more complicated than it appears.

“There are so many things beyond what people are talking about,” Cone said after Ginebra wins over NorthPort in the semifinals of the Commissioner’s Cup. “It’s not that easy to pull somebody out, add to the pool, or get a bigger pool.”

“There are finances involved, budgets, extra travel time, and more practice time. It’s not as simple as just saying, ‘Okay, now we’re going to go to 15 or 18 or 20 people. It’s not that simple.” 

“We came in with a program, and we’re going to stick to that program as much as we can. We’re not going to be too hard-headed about it, though I guess that’s the way I’m being described at this point,” he went on to say.

A Solid Proof

Justin Brownlee, a naturalized player, leads the current Gilas roster, which also includes PBA stalwarts Scottie Thompson, June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez, Chris Newsome, Calvin Oftana, and Jamie Malonzo. 

Overseas players Dwight Ramos, Kai Sotto, AJ Edu, Kevin Quiambao, and Carl Tamayo are also on the roster. Cone also reinstated Japeth Aguilar and added La Salle forward Mason Amos to the roster. 

For the last window, he also called on Troy Rosario, a former Gilas mainstay during Chot Reyes’ era. However, Rosario and Amos were left off the final lineups against Chinese Taipei and New Zealand.

Cone has repeatedly stated that getting players to his system is the most difficult component of extending the pool. Edu, who first appeared during the third window, highlighted this challenge.

“The idea was that with AJ’s addition, we would become a better defensive team.

But we spent so much time trying to integrate him into the triangle that we didn’t really integrate him into our defense,” Cone said. 

Cone Says No 

Edu averaged 8.5 points and 10.5 rebounds across his two games. Despite having more time to prepare, it was still difficult, which is why Cone stays hesitant to make any adjustments.

“At this point, no, we’re not going to add to the pool or subtract from it unless there are guys who don’t want to join us anymore. As long as these guys want to continue to play and represent, we’re going to let them,” he said.

“People are going to get angry about it, and they’re going to get angry at me about it, I guess. That’s the bottom line. But we came in with a program.”

“We came in with an idea, and we’re not going to change it at the first sign of panic. We’ll see what happens. Let’s take another chance,” he added, as Gilas gears up for the Asia Cup proper in a few months.

While it is alarming to watch Gilas Pilipinas lose to opponents they have previously defeated, the circumstances must be looked into. At the end of the day, Cone believes in this present roster; who are we to doubt it?