Gilas tests Asian Games mettle vs Aussies, Kiwis

The battles against Australia and New Zealand will serve as the yardstick of Gilas Pilipinas when it competes in the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya from 19 September to 4 October.

In an episode of Off the Court on Thursday, Gilas assistant coach Sean Chambers said they need to bring intensity in the upcoming third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, which will be vital in shaping the final roster for the Asian Games.

The Philippines will face the Tall Blacks on 3 July at Spark Arena in Auckland before taking on the Boomers in Perth on 6 July.

Gilas head coach Tim Cone said their roster for the Asian Games will be drawn from the 30-man pool that they will assemble very soon. Of course, the players performance in the World Cup qualifiers will also play a huge role in the evaluation process.

“I believe Coach Tim’s goal is to make sure that our tryouts and workouts are extremely competitive. We need to match the level of aggressiveness that the New Zealand teams play with against Australia,” Chambers said in the weekly online sports show of DAILY TRIBUNE.

“By expanding the pool, it gives us more options to evaluate players who can help us be successful against the two top teams in our window. Don’t forget, we still have to play New Zealand as well as Australia in July before we get to the Asian Games.”

After ending a 61-year gold medal drought at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, the pressure is on Gilas to capture back-to-back gold medals with a stronger and more cohesive core.

With eligibility based solely on passport ownership, Cone and his coaching staff will be able to tap regulars such as Kai Sotto, Carl Tamayo, AJ Edu and Kevin Quiambao, provided their respective ballclubs allow them to join the national team.

Cone will also have the luxury of fielding naturalized players Justin Brownlee, Ange Kouame and, possibly, Bennie Boatwright pending the outcome of his application for naturalization.