The smoke has barely cleared from the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, where a dominant Gilas Pilipinas squad swept Jordan and Iran. But as the national basketball program trains its eyes on the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, the landscape has radically shifted. The Philippines enters the tournament not as overwhelming favorites, but as gritty pug-nosed underdogs ready to defend their historic 2023 gold medal against seemingly insurmountable adversity.
The way ahead is certainly steep and challenging. Due to strict Asian Games ‘passport-only’ eligibility rules and conflicting professional league schedules, head coach Tim Cone is navigating this regional tournament with severe roster constraints. Mainstays like Kai Sotto, Dwight Ramos, Kevin Quiambao, AJ Edu and June Mar Fajardo are unavailable. To complicate matters, naturalized superhero Justin Brownlee remains in the United States recovering from severe hamstring and leg injuries. Without his medical clearance, Coach Tim Cone is bracing to head into battle with a short-handed, 11-man, all-Filipino squad. (The last slot is reserved for Brownlee, in the event he is cleared by his US doctors.)
Faced with a depleted frontcourt, Coach Cone has pivoted Gilas’ identity away from relying on traditional interior size toward a more dynamic, high-octane, up-tempo system. This hungry all-PBA lineup features a backcourt pairing of RJ Abarrientos and Robert Bolick, whose shifty playmaking, veteran poise, and lethal perimeter shooting will anchor the offense. Down low, Justine Baltazar and Justin Arana have been fast-tracked to play heavy minutes. They will be tasked with battling Asia’s giants on the glass, while versatile wings like Adrian Nocum and Don Trollano provide the physical perimeter defense needed to disrupt opposing flank actions.
The crash course in chemistry is already underway. This younger Gilas version had a tune-up game with the Gilas Fiba Asian Qualifiers version right before the Manila games. Recently, Gilas flew to Suwon, South Korea, for the Hana Bank Invitational, for a pair of high-stakes friendly exhibition matches. In their opening tune-up on September 4, the Filipinos suffered a tough 81–55 loss to a crisp-passing Korean national team. In their second game, the Koreans once again drubbed our valiant Gilas warriors 69-42 last Sunday. While the offense struggled to find its rhythm from deep, the games provided a vital reality check.
Come September 11, the real test begins at the Aichi International Arena, where Gilas opens its Group C campaign against Bahrain. This will be followed by a clash against Kazakhstan on September 12, before they wrap up the group stage on September 14 with a highly-anticipated, emotionally-charged rematch against the regional basketball powerhouse, China.
This is not the star-studded Gilas team we expected. It suffered twin losses to Korea in tune-up games just recently in their final run-up to the Asian Games. But it is precisely the kind of team that defines the true spirit of Philippine basketball. When the odds are stacked against us, when our backs are against the wall, and when the world counts us out – that is when Puso shines the brightest. These eleven men are stepping onto the hardwood in Japan not just to play, but to wage war for the flag, carrying the weight of a proud basketball nation on their shoulders. They will need our voices, our energy, and our unyielding faith. Let us rally behind this hungry pack of underdogs, paint those faces red, yellow and blue, and scream to our hearts content. Let us all stand proud, the way we stand proud for Alex Eala. Let us believe in the process, and let the world know that our defending champions have our 100% support, and that the defending champions will not surrender their crown without a fight. Laban, Gilas Pilipinas!
Cover photo courtesy of NewsWav. Other photos courtesy of Spin.ph, Facebook and ABS-CBN News. For a closer look, just click on the pics.
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