GILAS PILIPINAS has touched down in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as they gear up for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup. The national squad is aiming to make the most of the limited time left to fine-tune their game plan for a tough tournament against familiar regional rivals.
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) posted a photo of the team’s arrival in Jeddah on Thursday morning. In the image, TNT forward Calvin Oftana was spotted with the team, despite being previously tagged as doubtful.
Joining him on the flight were Justin Brownlee, June Mar Fajardo, Scottie Thompson, Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu, Kevin Quiambao, Japeth Aguilar, Carl Tamayo, CJ Perez, Chris Newsome, and Jamie Malonzo.
Oftana had been uncertain to play due to sprains in both ankles. However, the league confirmed that he still chose to travel and “join Gilas in the war at the desert.”
Gilas head coach Tim Cone previously admitted uncertainty over Oftana’s availability for the entire tournament, citing medical documents sent by the player’s camp.
Still On Track
Cone noted that, despite a thin roster during the early days of camp, the team still has time to train and polish their plays designed for Chinese Taipei, New Zealand, and Iraq.
“We were able to get a couple of weeks,” Cone said. “We weren’t complete, that made it difficult, but we had a complete core with Justin and AJ. It was really important to have AJ here. That, being able to happen for two weeks, is great.”
Compared to the previous window of the qualifiers, the team only managed four practice sessions, even using their tune-up games as extra chances to review their system. Making things more difficult, Kai Sotto suffered a major injury, forcing them to make sudden adjustments to their game plan.
The limited preparation time reflected in their results: after sweeping New Zealand, Chinese Taipei, and Hong Kong in 2024, Gilas suffered losses to both New Zealand and Chinese Taipei in early 2025.
Cone is now focusing on maximizing training time with Fajardo, Perez, and Oftana—players who just wrapped up their PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup Finals stint—as he recognizes the importance of getting them more reps.
