Filipinos still can’t solve Aussie riddle

Gilas Pilipinas’ 60-84 loss in the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup is just part of a long string of misfortune that the Filipinos have suffered at the hands of the Australians.

In fact, the last time the Filipinos beat the Aussies in an official International Basketball Federation (FIBA) game was in 1974 — a 101-100 decision in the World Championship for Men in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 8 July.

Philippine Basketball Association legends Robert Jaworski and Ramon Fernandez bannered the squad that also had Abet Guidaben, Francis Arnaiz, Bogs Adornado, Yoyong Martires, Manny Paner, Jimmy Mariano, Joy Cleofas, Tembong Melencio, Alberto Reynoso and Dave Regullano.

Adornado led the scoring parade with 20 points for the Filipinos, who survived the 39-point explosion of Ed Palubinskas for the Australians.

The Philippines and Australia, however, finished at the bottom of the ranking with a similar 2-5 win-loss slates in the tourney won by Soviet Union with Yugoslavia and the United States settling for silver and bronze medals, respectively.

Since then, the Filipinos struggled to find an answer against the mighty Australians.

The Aussies have grown so powerful that even Tim Cone — the Philippine Basketball Association’s winngest mentor — admitted that they are way superior than the Filipinos.

“I didn’t think we stepped up as much as we wanted to,” Cone said after getting blown out by the Aussies.

“No doubt that the Australian athleticism and length (were a factor). Even though you see it on video, when you get up there and start playing against them, you realize that they’re very superior.”

Cone was right. The Australians superiority was on full display when they beat the Filipinos twice in the 1978 World Championship for Men at the Smart Araneta Coliseum — a 97-52 decision in the semifinals and a 92-74 scoreline in the classification for seventh place.

The Philippines finished eighth with a 0-8 record while Australia finished seventh with 4-6.

The two squads never met again for the next 40 years until FIBA decided to include countries from Oceania in the FIBA Asia qualifying events and Asia Cup in 2018.

By that time, the Boomers had further evolved into a basketball powerhouse with elite players like Patty Mills, Josh Giddey, Joe Ingles, Dante Exum and Dante Exum competing in the National Basketball Association.

The Australians crushed the Filipinos, 84-68, in the 2019 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in Melbourne on 22 February 2018 before destroying them anew with an 89-53 decision on 2 July 2018 at the Philippine Arena — a game that was marred by a massive brawl that underscored the fact that they are no longer on the same level.

Still, the Philippines will have another chance to beat the Australians when they clash anew in the second window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers in March next year.