GILAS PILIPINAS will have a chance to redeem themselves after a disappointing showing in the final round of qualifiers, as they face familiar adversaries in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in August.
With the wait over, the Philippine national team can begin preparing for another series of matches against teams they encountered in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
The much-anticipated FIBA Asia Cup groups were officially drawn on Tuesday, with Gilas Pilipinas placed in Group D with New Zealand, Chinese Taipei, and Iraq as formidable opponents.
Before suffering two consecutive losses to the Tall Blacks and the Taiwanese, Gilas Pilipinas managed to win big against both sides in their first meeting, and even own the top seed of their group.
Another Round
During the qualifications, the nationals split their matches with New Zealand. The Philippines won 92-88 at home in November, but the Tall Blacks responded with an 87-70 win in Auckland in February.
Gilas also split their qualification matches against Chinese Taipei, winning the first 106-53 but losing 91-84 on the road in February 2025, against a revamped squad.
The national team won both of its games with its main big man, Kai Sotto, but is now questionable due to an ACL injury. It could keep the 7’2” behemoth out for the rest of the year. The team suffered two losses without him.
Interesting Groupings
On the other side of the bracket, two-time champion Australia leads Group A, which includes Korea, Lebanon, and Qatar, which some may refer to as the tournament’s “Group of Death.”
Meanwhile, as the Asia representative at the previous 2024 Paris Olympics, Japan will want to be the squad to beat in Group B, alongside Jericho Cruz-led Guam, Syria, and Iran.
In Group C, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who recently won another title for TNT Tropang Giga, will lead Jordan against China, India, and Saudi Arabia.
With the tournament taking place from August 5 to 17, how will the Tim Cone-led team recover from the disastrous stretch they had? Only time will tell. However, one thing is certain: Gilas Pilipinas will bounce back.
