Gilas Pilipinas mulls setting another training camp in Qatar as part of its preparations for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in August.
National team coach Tim Cone bared the plan following Gilas’ disastrous campaign in the third window of the tournament’s qualifiers on the road last week.
“I’m not sure. But I think there’s a plan, maybe a plan to go to Qatar again and play one or two games. So, we’re there early and adjust to the time zone,” Cone said.
But unlike Gilas’ arduous four-nation goodwill games in Doha that included back-to-back games in less than 24 hours just days before visiting Taiwan and New Zealand for the third window, Cone vowed a better management of the team’s schedule.
The tiring travel from two different time zones with stops in five countries took its toll on the weary Gilas. The Filipinos suffered a stunning 84-91 defeat at the hands of a revamped Chinese Taipei before absorbing a 70-87 drubbing against New Zealand.
Gilas ended up at No. 2 seed in Group B with a 4-2 win-loss record following a four-game romp in the first two windows. The losses also kept Gilas from improving in the world rankings, staying in the 34th spot in the latest FIBA rankings.
“Now, we know how to set things up better, I think, next time around. We’ll be smarter,” Cone said.
If the Qatar camp pushes through, the plan is for Gilas to play just a couple of tuneup games before heading to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the 5 to 17 August main tourney.
“(We’ll) go from Doha to Jeddah which is basically only an hour and a half away, something like that,” Cone said.
“I tell you we ain’t gonna travel that way this time and do three games in a row and then travel that way to get back and go over that way. If we do, it’s gonna be in the same time zone. I’m not sure if we’re even gonna do that,” he added.
“Maybe practice would be more important than playing games.”