Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone will be steering two separate ships for a pair of major tournaments.

The decorated mentor will be handling a national team laden with overseas-based players and an all-Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Gilas for the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier fourth window later this month and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September, respectively.

“We’re going to have two pretty much separate teams. One for the window and one for the Asian Games,” Cone said.

The two teams have started training on Monday at the San Miguel Corporation practice facility in Pasig City.

“We’re going to practice separately at this point,” Cone said.

Cone will take care of preparing the Gilas squad that will host Jordan on 28 August and Iran on the 30th at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Naturalized player Justin Brownlee is set for a return to the World Cup qualifier after a long layoff due to hamstring, knee and leg injuries that forced him to miss Gilas’ final road game against Australia in the third window. He also missed the first six games of Barangay Ginebra in the ongoing PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup.

Brownlee is likely to hook up with overseas-based Gilas regulars Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu, Carl Tamayo and Kevin Quiambao, who will be made available by their Japan B.League and Korean Basketball League clubs for the fourth window.

Scottie Thompson, who missed the third window due to a hamstring injury, is also expected to be back in the roster along with June Mar Fajardo, Juan Gomez de Liano, Chris Newsome, RJ Abarrientos, Justine Baltazar and Troy Rosario.

While Cone is focused on the FIBA window Gilas side, his deputies will take care of preparing the Asiad crew.

“The plan is for me to handle the window until we get it done and then to transfer to the Asian team,” Cone said.

“In the meantime, Richard (Del Rosario), Josh (Reyes) and Jong (Uichico) will handle the Asian Games.”

Cone added that at least three players from the FIBA window team will suit up for another tour of duty in the continental meet, tipping off on 10 September, nine days before the official opening of the 20th Asiad.

“I guess some of them have played in the past with Gilas but they haven’t been a part of these windows that we’ve been part of. But we can still get maybe one or two or three from the window team to join,” he said.

“But the bulk of the team will be new.”

Gilas is in Pool C with Bahrain, Kazakhstan and China, which the Pinoy cagers beat in a 77-76 semifinal escape in the Hangzhou Asiad three years ago before shooting down Jordan in the finale to end a 61-year gold medal drought.

The composition of the two teams has yet to be announced as of press time.

However, Quentin Millora-Brown, Mike Phillips and Kai Sotto, who is eyeing a stint in the US NCAA, won’t be available for both Gilas squads.