Gilas opens camp to public

Gilas Pilipinas will be holding an open practice for fans and supporters in a fitting send-off event on Monday for the team’s road mission in the third window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier next month.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas announced on Saturday that the public will be allowed to view Gilas’ training at the FilOil EcoOil Centre on a first-come, first-served basis.

Gilas’ open training is set at 8 p.m.

The Tim Cone-mentored squad is bracing for a tough climb following back-to-back losses in the second window as it visits powerhouse teams New Zealand and Australia.

Gilas will battle the Tall Blacks in Auckland on 3 July before taking on the Boomerangs in Perth three days after.

“It’s tough that it doesn’t end at this point. While everybody else is taking breaks, Gilas is going out there and playing,” said Cone, who along with three Ginebra players in Gilas’ 12-man roster, barely had time to rest following a grueling but successful Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup title conquest.

The national squad will fly to Auckland on Tuesday for a one-week training camp to acclimatize to the cold weather.

“It’s too cold in Auckland so we want to go down there a little early and try to catch up to the weather. It’s around 13, 12 degrees (Celsius). There’s no heater in the gym in Auckland,” Come said.

“It’s gonna be a trial for our guys, so we’ll try to adjust.”

Gilas holds a 2-2 win-loss record tied with New Zealand in Group A. Australia is unbeaten in four outings while Guam is winless in four games.

Naturalized player Justin Brownlee banners the Gilas squad that will continue to miss the services of 7-foot-3 center Kai Sotto and Quentin Millora-Brown.

Guard Juan Gomez de Liaño is inserted back into the lineup to replace injured Scottie Thompson, while Mike Phillips and Justine Baltazar are the latest additions to the roster.

Also back for another tour of duty are holdovers June Mar Fajardo, AJ Edu, Kevin Quiambao, Carl Tamayo, Chris Newsome, RJ Abarrientos, Troy Rosario and Dwight Ramos.