The Philippines’ Gilas cagers finally upended an erstwhile unbeatable New Zealand Tall Blacks squad 93-89 in the current Asia Cup qualifiers to register yet another first in the Philippines’ colorful cage lore. Four times, the world’s 34th-ranked Philippine Gilas squad had attempted to scrape a win over the haka-dancing big bad behemoths known as the Tall Blacks, ranked 22nd in the world. And four times, Gilas had failed the test. This time though, Gilas found an antidote for the Kiwis’ magical haka dance, in the person of that cage wizard himself, coach Tim Cone.
When long-time coach Chot Reyes finally walked away from Gilas following their debacle in the FIBA World Cup in Manila last year, Tim Cone was asked to take over the Philippine Basketball National Team program. Coach Tim was given the unenviable task of leading a yet-to-be-assembled, badly demoralized and disorganized team for the Asian Games with barely a month to prepare.
It seemed at this point that coach Tim had been set up to lose; with lesser talents, and practically no time to imbibe a new coaching philosophy and system. There were certainly no big dreams for a team that had underachieved in the biggest, most prestigious stage the country had ever hosted, the 2023 FIBA World Cup. And diehard Pinoy cage fans looked at the damning disarray with frustration, and simply learned to temper their expectations.
But lo and behold, coach Tim would conjure his own cage wizardry with the hand he was dealt so unkindly. He whipped out his magic wand, and cast a spell on a team whose heads were bowed in gloom and doom. Coach Tim knew that the first order of business was to get each of his players to once again believe that they could win.
And as that healthy dose of self-confidence came back, Gilas would go on to the Asian Games to derail the overwhelming favorites China, ranked 30th in the world, in their own homecourt. In a spectacular come-from-behind upset, Gilas would take the lead only in the last few seconds of the heart-stopping match to steal the win 77-76, and grab a slot in the finals. And in the final match for the gold, Gilas would take the measure of yet another superstar, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, to stun Jordan 70-60 and capture the Asian Games basketball gold medal for the first time in the last 61 years! (Pls read: The Philippines Surprises, Annexes the Asian Games Basketball Crown!!!)
Since then, coach Tim has not stopped shocking the cage world. Last July, with the odds stacked against them, Gilas upended host team Latvia 89-80 in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Latvia, then ranked 6th in the world, was stunned, as a solid Gilas defense would withstand a last quarter Latvian uprising to register the country’s first-ever win against a European team since 1960! Another first, another feather on the cap for our Gilas warriors.
Gilas would reach the semifinals of the mini-competition with a spot in the Paris Olympics at stake. However, that door was slammed shut when chief rim-protector Kai Sotto injured his rib in the game against Georgia. Without Kai patrolling the shaded lane, Gilas would lose a tight game against Georgia, and eventual group winner, Brazil. Brazil would punch the lone ticket to Paris, but Gilas had made a great impression by being competitive all throughout the short abbreviated tourney.
For this year’s FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers, Gilas was seeded 2nd in Grp B behind the overwhelming favorites, the NZ Tall Blacks. Most people believed that Gilas did not stand a chance to beat New Zealand. The Tall Blacks had been lording it over Gilas since they first clashed in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 2016. And they had been winning by a whopping average of 24.3 points per game!
But Coach Tim cooked up his own magic potion to counter the Kiwis’ haka voodoo-dance. With Kai Sotto now fully recovered and partnering with Jun Mar Fajardo in dominating the paint; and with lucky charm Justin Brownlee providing much of the offensive ammo; coach Tim had reasons to believe his team could upset the Kiwis. And with Dwight Ramos, Chris Newsome and the rest providing occasional outside hits, and Scottie Thompson dazzling everyone with his daredevil drives, and everybody locking down on the defense, Gilas would stun the New Zealanders before an ecstatic crowd of close to 17,000 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena last Thursday.
This time around, the Philippines dominated the boards, hauling down 44 rebounds to the Kiwis’ 31, and winning the points in the paint battle by a mile, 48-16. Aside from the presence of Kai and June Mar, the Kiwi decision to rely more on their outside shot eventually worked in favor of the Philippines. Despite the Kiwis’ early lead on account of their exquisite 3-point shooting, the Gilas defense plus their dominance off the boards would eventually spell the difference.
And Kai Sotto, with his 19 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, would shine brightest. Kai’s hardcourt battles in the pro leagues of Australia, Japan and New Zealand are paying dividends now. His Lebronesque numbers, as well as his ability to bang bodies in the shaded lanes, were a pleasant surprise. Kai’s game is now surely being scrutinized by pro scouts, and given the right breaks, he could go all the way to the NBA.
Indeed, the present Gilas men’s basketball program continues to make waves. They may not be as star-studded as the FIBA World Cup edition under coach Chot, but the team chemistry, the winners’ mindset, the high morale, and the basic fundamentals in both defense and offense are there. What Coach Tim has done has been a minor miracle, building up the right environment to make this team what it is today.
My take on the surprising achievements of the present Gilas program? Gilas’ shock victory over the Kiwis last Thursday, along with the small victories accomplished these last 2 years, tell me that you don’t need to have 12 of the best players in the land to win games. What Coach Tim has demonstrated poignantly is that with a team composed of players in sync with each other, with everyone working for and cheering each other on, with one mindset and one goal; the basketball gods will surely give favor and do the rest. If only for that, Coach Tim, the wizard of the cage world, has been the biggest boon to Philippine Basketball.
Cover pic courtesy of RepublikaAsia.
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