WANTED: HEALTHY GILAS - Injuries hurting Filipino cagers ahead of 2nd window

Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone is keeping his fingers crossed, hoping that guard Scottie Thompson and big man AJ Edu will be in good health for the November window of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifying Tournament.

The seasoned American mentor is confident that the two key Gilas players, who along with athletic forward Jamie Malonzo missed the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Riga, Latvia early this month, will get to suit up when the Philippines hosts New Zealand on 21 November.

Malonzo, on the other hand, might skip the window as he is still recovering from surgery after suffering a calf injury during the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup.

“Scottie has a purpose to the team, he’s unique and I don’t think there’s anybody that can replace what he would do for us in terms of the energy level that he plays at is such unique,” Cone said of his reliable Barangay Ginebra San Miguel guard.

Thompson was a late scratch in the Gilas squad that fell short in the semifinal of the OQT against eventual Paris Olympics-bound Brazil due to back issues.

Without Thompson, Cone relied on Dwight Ramos to fill up his spot in Gilas’ backcourt along with Chris Newsome.

The Nationals also felt the absence of the 6-foot-11 Edu, who suffered a meniscus tear, leaving the squad without a big man defender in the OQT.

But the Filipino-Cypriot has already expressed his intention to rejoin the squad, according to Cone.

“AJ at his size at 6-foot-11, with his length, his ability to block shots and defend and shoot the three-point shot (is important for us). We don’t have another AJ out there who could replace what AJ would do for us,” Cone said.

Even with his availability still in doubt, Cone believes Malonzo will be valuable in Gilas’ transition offense.

“Even Jamie at 6-foot-7, super athletic wing who can fly in the open court. I thought that was one of the things we were lacking in the OQT. We didn’t have that ability to transition up the floor and get fastbreaks,” the mentor said.

“He’s a guy that’s very difficult to replace because he has those unique skills.”

The trio played big in Gilas’ triumph in the Hangzhou Asian Games where the Filipinos ended a 61-year wait to claim the gold medal.

So, despite being sidelined by injuries, Cone remains adamant about sticking with the same 14-man pool in the next major international tilt, which includes an away match against Hong Kong on 24 November.

“If we can keep those three and get them healthy, we certainly want them to be part of the 12. So as of now, they are part of the 12,” he said.

Veteran Japeth Aguilar and Mason Amos, who filled the slots in the 11-man Gilas squad in the OQT, will remain on stand-by as alternates.