Cone worried over war in Middle East

Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone is closely monitoring the ongoing geopolitical tension in the Middle East, the region that will host the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.

Cone voiced his concern, fearing that the war between Israel and Iran could affect the staging of the prestigious Asian tourney that will be staged in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 5 to 17 August.

The war in the Middle East is nothing new. But with the United States joining the fray and attacking the nuclear facilities of Iran, the geopolitical tension had risen with security analysts fearing that it could escalate into a full-blown war among neighboring countries.

“We’re not trying to make too big of a deal out of it right now, but with everything going on in the Middle East, especially with what happened between Israel, the United States and Iran, we’re wondering whether we’ll still be playing in Jeddah,” Cone said.

“Whether the venue will change or not is something we’re monitoring closely with FIBA.”

Cone said the safety of the national delegate is the utmost priority of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.

“Our top priority is the safety of the players, coaches, and staff,” Cone said.

“There’s just a lot going on in that area right now, and we want to make sure the situation doesn’t put anyone at risk.”

Despite the heightened concern, Gilas Pilipinas will still kick off its training every Monday starting next week.

Cone stressed that he will try to come up with at least 18 training sessions, including twice-a-day workouts and a tuneup match, probably against the Macau Black Bears on 28 and 29 July, before flying to Saudi Arabia.

He said his availability in practice depends on the performance of Barangay Ginebra in the ongoing playoffs of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup.

“If I’m not in the PBA finals with Ginebra, I’ll handle the practices myself. If I am, Richard del Rosario and Sean Chambers will take over. Either way, we’re getting started early,” Cone stressed, adding that Gilas should be in full force with Justin Brownlee fully recovering from a thumb injury.

Meanwhile, the overseas-based players like Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo, Kevin Quiambao and AJ Edu are expected to join in their off-season, giving them a lot of time to rebuild their chemistry and cohesion on the floor.