STANDING TALL: Gilas can’t take New Zealand lightly

Gilas Pilipinas has to be at its best if it wants to post a convincing victory against New Zealand in the second window of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers on Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Tall Blacks, for one, will be parading a taller, more powerful squad with a new head coach in Judd Flavell — a member of the team that reached the semifinals of the FIBA World Championship in 2002.

Flavell has strong ties with New Zealand’s national team program.

Aside from playing a crucial role in the team that made it all the way to the Final Four of the World Cup in Indianapolis under current Ateneo de Manila University head coach Tab Baldwin, he also served as head coach of the national juniors’ team in 2013 and 2014 as well as assistant coach of the men’s team in 2020 under FIBA Hall of Famer Pero Cameron.

Cameron, who handled the Tall Blacks in the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Manila last year, stepped down last October to accept a coaching role with the Ningbo Rockets in the Chinese Basketball League.

“There’s a lot of emotions that came up for me, because I feel so passionate about the black singlet, about the Tall Blacks, what we’ve done and achieved on the international stage in the past,” said Flavell, whose teammates in the 2002 World Championship team includes former TNT Tropang Giga head coach Mark Dickel.

“And also seeing where we are currently at with the program; you can’t help but get excited looking ahead at the pool of talent that we have coming through with the youngsters.”

Flavell will be heading a New Zealand squad that crushed its foes in the first window of the qualifiers.

Ethan Rusbatch, who played for Converge in the Philippine Basketball Association last year, delivered 26 points laced with six three-pointers while another former FiberXers reinforcement in Tom Vodanovich as well as Samuel Timmins chipped in 16 markers apiece in their 89-69 crushing of Chinese Taipei in their opening game.

Then, it was Tyrell Harrison and Dan Fotu’s turn to shine when they delivered 18 and 13 points, respectively, when the Tall Blacks dominated Hong Kong, 88-49, in their second game of the qualifiers.

Flavell said leading the Tall Blacks gives him an opportunity to recreate their magical run in 2002 in which they beat heavyweight teams along the way to gain the respect of the international basketball community.

“For me it’s been a long journey, coming from being part of the Tall Blacks program as a player — growing up and having that dream of putting on the black singlet — and then being involved in some of our finer moments in 2001-02, then being an assistant coach,” he said.

“I really feel privileged and honored to be given this responsibility.”

‘They beat us pretty badly when we played them.’

Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone acknowledges the danger that the Tall Blacks pose, especially since they are 22nd in the International Basketball Federation ranking, which is two notches ahead of Georgia, which the Filipinos faced in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia last July.

“They are the 22nd-ranked team in the world. That’s higher than the Georgia team that we played. Georgia is No. 24 in the OQT. They are a tough, tough team. They are a physical team. They are a nation of rugby players. They know how to play physically,” said Cone, who wrapped up their three-day training camp at the Inspire Sports Academy in Laguna on Sunday afternoon.

“They beat us pretty badly when we played them. But I really, really feel that there’s a sense that we could beat them this time around.”

Cone, however, believes that they can match the ceiling, physicality and scrappiness of the Tall Blacks once they play before their noisy hometown crowd.

After all, naturalized player Justin Brownlee will be ready to play as well as eight-time Philippine Basketball Association Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo, Scottie Thompson, Kai Sotto and CJ Perez — all of whom have significant international experience.

“I think we have a shot at beating them and we certainly want to protect our home court and show ourselves and to our Gilas fans around the country,” said Cone, owner of 25 PBA titles who was also part of the coaching staff of the team that competed in the FIBA Basketball World Cup last year.