MANILA, February 22 ------ Gilas Pilipinas will be parading their new roster as they compete in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers against Hong Kong. This game, as well as the one on Sunday, can gauge the Tim Cone-mentored team’s capabilities so far, especially since they are about to face the FIBA world ranked no. 119 Hong Kong and the no.78 Chinese Taipei.
Still, the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel mentor said that they are not taking these assignments lightly. “It’s important that we win,” said the PBA’s winningest coach during the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas’ press conference at the PhilSports Arena last Monday. “But it is even more important that we build a foundation from which we can bring into the next window, and from which we can bring into the next one, and the next one after that,” he added.
Coach Cone also emphasized what the approach of his version of Gilas would be, explaining that he wants the players, the staff, and everyone who is involved to be focused on their build-up patiently. “We’re not gonna shortcut, we’re not gonna jump around, we’re just gonna build consistently forward,” said the two-time Grand Slam champion mentor. “It’s really about building a foundation from which we can build from. This first window is our foundation,” he added.
Numerous players, among them being Dwight Ramos and Kevin Quiambao, vouched for Cone’s vision for the squad, and both fan favorites expressed their commitment to Coach Tim’s system. “The chemistry is always gonna be there. It’s not new people coming in and then figuring out how to play with them, so I think it’s a good idea,” said Ramos. “Yung four years, ready ako to play with Gilas. Kung anong program ni Coach Tim, kung tawagin man ako or hindi, ready ako,” added KQ.
Cone then gave an explanation of how they would be going about things, with the former Alaska Aces coach saying he wants the team to focus on growth and not solely on goals. “We want to be thinking about goals, but it’s more important for us to be growth-oriented. To become growth-oriented, we have got to stay with the process. That’s what I hope these guys are getting and continue to get as a mindset,” he said.
Coach Tim made it clear that he is hoping for Gilas to get a spot in the 2024 Paris and 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, but he is also aware of the mountain that they have to climb for these to be even within sight. “Whether it be Paris or LA, our goal is to make the Olympics,” said Cone. “And we do that by either qualifying through the Latvia [Olympic Qualifying Tournament] or being the Asian team in the [2027] World Cup. Our focus is on what is going to take us to get there, and that’s a day-to-day process that we’re going to battle. This window here is a part of that process, and it’s gonna take us forward,” he concluded.
Gilas’ first part of the journey will be tomorrow when they face Hong Kong at the Tsuen Wan Stadium there. Game time is at 8 PM.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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