Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone is not making a fuss being drawn in a “Group of Death” with powerhouse teams Australia and New Zealand in the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

“It is what it is,” shrugged Cone when asked for his reaction to Gilas being bunched with the two Oceania giants and Guam in Group A of the qualifiers, firing off in November.

The decorated mentor, in fact, shared that he didn’t even bother to watch the draw ceremony staged by World Cup host Qatar late Tuesday (Manila time).

“I didn’t stay up to find out. What happens, happens. It isn’t like I’m trying to win the lottery and see if I won the lottery,” Cone said.

He only found out about the groupings the following morning when an official from Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas messaged him the result.

“I just don’t make a big deal about it. We had no control over it. If we lost a game here or there, won a game here and there that would’ve affected the draw, then maybe we can be talking or have some regret. But the bottom line is we don’t have control over that,” Cone added.

“So, we deal with what we have. We’re not gonna feel bad about it or regret it or even get excited about it. It’s the job ahead of us and we have to do what we have to do to make it (to the World Cup).”

Cone, who steered Gilas to a gold medal finish in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, would rather think about how to rally his troops and prepare for the long road ahead to a fourth straight World Cup stint.

“I just truly believe that you control things you can control. Right now, the thing we can control is trying to get back together and prepare... and get Kai (Sotto) back in the line-up,” he said.

Gilas will need to get in tip-top shape and have its best players available heading into the opening window of the first round, which is a double round-robin, home-and-away affair.

Cone is keeping his fingers crossed for the return and full recovery of 7-foot-3 center Kai Sotto from a knee injury in time for the 28 November showdown against New Zealand.

Gilas will have a rematch with the Tall Blacks on 1 December.

The Filipinos face the Jericho Cruz-led Guam on 26 February next year before taking on Australia on 1 March. Gilas will have a rematch with Guam on 3 July before crossing paths again with the Boomers three days after.

The top three teams from each of the four groups in the first round will advance into the second round where the 12 squads will be divided into two pools playing another round-robin, home-and-away format. The top three squads in each group and the top performing fourth place squad will advance in the main draw slated 27 August to 12 September 2027.