IN RECENT performances by the Gilas Pilipinas, one may argue that the squad they’re assembling is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, men’s national team lineup in history.
Gilas Pilipinas defended the home court and finished the second round of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers unbeaten with a 4-0 win-loss record, defeating both New Zealand and Hong Kong at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
They delighted the crowd with a 93-89 triumph over the higher-ranked Tall Blacks, then showed no signs of complacency in a 93-54 thrashing of Hong Kong to finish the year on a high note.
Photo Courtesy: FIBA
The national team may have had a close game against the Tall Blacks, but they demonstrated their readiness for any opponent by recording their first win against the Kiwis in five encounters.
As Gilas head coach Tim Cone and his team continue to rack up record-breaking performances and secure more “firsts” for the country, fans can’t help but believe that this group will carry the flag to the Promised Land.
Top of the world
Both performances demonstrated to the majority of supporters that Cone’s roster and system have been performing admirably and are more than ready to hand over the torch and carry the flag forward.
As of November 25, the Philippines is creating waves not just in Asia, but also in the world rankings, as they remain one of the highest-scoring teams in the world, with an average of 96.5, second only to Australia (97.5).
Furthermore, FIBA stated that the Philippine national team is the most efficient team, based on their EFF per game, in the Continental Cup Qualifiers, outperforming the pack by a significant margin.
Photo Courtesy: FIBA
When it comes to clubs averaging at least 120 EFF per game, only three make the cut. Standing tall above them all, the Philippines is the only team in the Continental Cup Qualifiers averaging more than 130 EFF per game (134.3).
Under Cone’s system, Gilas shares the ball and distributes their offense more effectively. This also allowed them to top the Continental Cup Qualifiers in assists per game (APG) with 28.0.
The Philippines’ high-level and efficient offensive production, as well as their consistency, have earned them a spot in the FIBA Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia next year.
Trust the process
Despite just having roughly two weeks of preparation time, the team was very flexible. All owing to Cone’s goal of retaining the same players and providing the continuity they require.
“The more you increase the pool, the more teaching you have to do. If you can keep a core going all the time and really focus on that core, keep it a tight group, then that core is going to get better,” said Cone.
“If you start expanding the pool, you have to go back to zero and start teaching all over again everything that you’ve taught. The pattern of the short windows prevents you from having those 4 to 6 weeks preparation time. Now it’s five days, four days,” he added.
Nonetheless, the 66-year-old Cone expresses gratitude to Gilas’ previous instructors, Tab Baldwin and Chot Reyes, stating that he is simply reaping the benefits of their years of hard work.
Laban Pilipinas, Puso!
Aside from the necessity of consistency, Cone underlined that it is the players’ hearts that have allowed them to remain consistent with what they have been doing over the past few months.
“These guys are not making big money doing this. They are basically getting a small portion of their salaries. They are coming in here with their hearts more than their pockets, and they’re giving it their all,” highlighted Cone.
“My hat is really off to the players and what they are doing to get to this point and to this level. This is not an All-Star team. We aren’t out there to showcase our individual skills, and we gotta come together as a team.”
“That’s what I love about this team, they really accept that idea, and it makes it so much easier from a coaching standpoint to handle this team. I love this team,” Cone went on to say.
Despite becoming a tall and mighty team, the national team has relied on its “Puso,” and they are not just chanting it to energize their supporters. Instead, they’ve been dumping it on the floor since they joined the team.
We’re just getting started
Gilas will return in February 2025 to face Chinese Taipei and New Zealand again, and Cone has already stated that it could be the most difficult task they will face in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
“The two away games are gonna be the toughest teams in this window. With the short preparation times, it’s hard to keep everybody updated on the system,” Cone insisted.
“In the first practice back, I kind of assumed that they would know everything because we just came from the OQT a few months ago, but they went back and they completely forgot.”
“That’s going to be important for us to learn because we’re going to have to learn how to play on the road and win on the road. We have to be able to play at the same level because all of our tournaments that we play are going to be on the road,” Cone said.
Photo Courtesy: FIBA
Nonetheless, Cone is convinced that the country is only getting started and will see its best squad in future tournaments. A force to be reckoned with not only in Asia, but maybe around the world.
Fans can expect Justin Brownlee, along with PBA talents June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez, Calvin Oftana, Chris Newsome, Jamie Malonzo, Japeth Aguilar, and Scottie Thompson to banner the squad.
Meanwhile, Japan B.League stars Kai Sotto, AJ Edu, and Dwight Ramos, as well as KBL player Carl Tamayo, may lead the younger players, which also includes DLSU Green Archers’ Kevin Quiambao and Mason Amos.
