Size doesn’t matter for Gilas Pilipinas

Size won’t be much of a disadvantage when Gilas Pilipinas tries to replicate its upset over New Zealand two years ago on the same Mall of Asia Arena floor.

Despite missing 7-foot-3 Kai Sotto once again, the addition of young big men Quentin Millora-Brown and Justine Baltazar should give Gilas a decent ceiling against the Tall Blacks when they meet again on Thursday for the second window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

Veteran center June Mar Fajardo and another mainstay in AJ Edu are back for another tour of duty.

Add to that 6-foot-10 Millora-Brown and 6-foot-9 Baltazar, and Gilas now has a good fighting chance at winning a third straight game in the first round of the Asian qualifiers.

“I always love our chances. You know, I think that we have a really big team that can match their size. But also we have speed and lots of talent,” Millora-Brown said in an interview with One Sports.

The 25-year-old Millora-Brown, who initially declined to participate but eventually committed, proved to be a big boost to head coach Tim Cone’s front line in Gilas’ back-to-back wins over Guam in the first window.

He averaged 7.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in his first two games wearing the tricolors.

Gilas head coach Tim Cone tapped Baltazar to join the pool after the absence of Sotto, forward Jamie Malonzo and Millora-Brown’s initial decline depleted the team’s frontline.

The Converge big man has been with the pool since it began training, but Baltazar admitted that he has yet to fully grasp Cone’s system.

“It’s my first time to be under Coach Tim. So far, I’m able to follow. We only have short training, so I still have a lot of catching up to do. So, I’d say I’m around 80 to 90 percent into the system,” the 29-year-old versatile frontliner said.

Sotto, who opted to skip the window after just recovering from a knee injury he sustained last year, played a huge role in Gilas’ 93-89 shocker over New Zealand in the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers in 21 November 2024.

Unfortunately, Sotto suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear that needed surgery while playing for Koshigaya Alphas in the Japan B.League.

Sotto’s absence affected Gilas’ performance as New Zealand blew out the Filipinos in Auckland in the third window and in the FIBA Asia Cup main draw in Jeddah.