MISSION POSSIBLE

Winning on the road against two of Oceania’s powerhouse squads is already tough as it is.

Hard but not impossible.

Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone remains upbeat about the team’s chances when it visits New Zealand and Australia in the crucial third window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier next month.

For the decorated tactician, Gilas, despite missing a couple of big men and veterans, is very much capable of pulling off an upset.

“Well, we know it’s going to be tough. We’re looking forward to it,” Cone said on the eve of the Philippine team’s Tuesday departure for New Zealand. 

“We’ve been a team that’s pulled surprises before, and I’m not going to be surprised if we pull a surprise,” he added during a press conference held before Monday night’s open training session at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

The Filipinos face the Tall Blacks first in Auckland on 3 July to start the final leg of the first round.

Gilas will then battle the unbeaten Australians three days later in Perth.

Australia leads Group A with a perfect 4-0 win-loss record. New Zealand holds a 2-2 slate tied with Gilas, which is on a two-game slide, while Guam is winless in four starts.

As part of their preparation, the Nationals flew out of Manila early to acclimatize to New Zealand’s cold weather, build chemistry and plot a perfect game plan against the Kiwis and Aussies.

Two tune-up games against local clubs, the Manawatu Jets and the Franklin Bulls, are also included in Gilas’ training camp calendar.  

“I like the way the SBP (Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas) has set it up for us in terms of being able to go down to Brisbane and acclimatize ourselves to the weather a little bit,” Cone said.

“(To) get a camp down there and then play a couple of friendlies against pro New Zealand teams. I think that’s really good preparation for us,” added Cone.

Although the Tall Blacks are currently on a four-game winning streak in their head-to-head against Gilas, including a 69-66 win in the second window last February at the Mall of Asia Arena, Cone is confident his squad will give the host team a run for its money.

“Every game for Gilas is a championship game. It’s a Game 7, and we’ve just got to be prepared the best we can,” he said.

“I’ve always said a prepared team is a confident team. If we feel like we’re prepared and ready to go, then we’re going to be confident, and that will show in our game,” Cone added. 

“I think this is really one of our best chances to do that with the preparation we’ve had and the preparation behind us.”

Gilas return to duty is a quick turnaround, especially for Cone and his Ginebra crew of naturalized player Justin Brownlee, Troy Rosario and RJ Abarrientos, following a grueling but successful title conquest of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup.  

“I’m excited. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m clear-eyed. I’m not tired from the finals. I’m ready to get going. I think our guys are all ready to get going, too,” the 26-time PBA champion mentor added.

Gilas will have two new faces in the 12-mab roster with the addition of 6-foot-8 Mike Phillips and 6-foot-9 Justine Baltazar.

The two young big men will fill the frontline spots of unavailable players 7-foot-3 Kai Sotto and Quentin Millora-Brown.

Gilas is also missing the services of injured guards Scottie Thompson and Calvin Oftana.

Point guard Juan Gomez de Liaño is taking over the spot of Thompson while holdovers June Mar Fajardo, AJ Edu, Kevin Quiambao, Carl Tamayo, Chris Newsome and Dwight Ramos are back once again to don the tricolor.