Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone is thrilled to reunite with Jamie Malonzo a few months after walking away from Barangay Ginebra to compete in the Japan B. League.
Cone said he likes Malonzo’s work ethic, energy and maturity, knowing that he’s now one of the veterans of the national squad that will see action against Guam in the first window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers on 28 November and 1 December.
“I like the way he’s playing right now,” the noted American mentor said, a day before Gilas walks into the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba to intensify its preparation on Friday.
“He looks really motivated. He’s motivated to prove himself. He’s out there hitting shots, dunking in practice and looks really healthy. So we’ll see how that goes on.”
At Gilas, Malonzo is expected to play a huge role following the absence of Calvin Oftana and, possibly, Carl Tamayo.
The 29-year-old Oftana is expected to skip the first window after suffering a hamstring injury during TNT Tropang Giga’s campaign in the Philippine Basketball Association Season 50 Philippine Cup while Tamayo’s availability remains doubtful as he doesn’t have a United States visa, which is essential in entering Guam.
Although Gilas will be reinforced by Juan Gomez de Liaño and Quentin Millora-Brown, having a veteran like Malonzo on the roster will still be a big boost for the Filipinos.
Cone said Malonzo will always have a special spot in the Gilas program despite walking away from Ginebra to sign with the Kyoto Hannaryz, which eventually released him after five games.
“Whether he’s playing for me, playing for Ginebra or playing in Japan or anywhere else, it has nothing to do with being in Gilas,” Cone said.
“We’re happy to have him. He really adds depth to what we are doing.”
Gilas Pilipinas will train for three days in Laguna before flying to Guam on Monday. Their second game against the Guamanians will be held at the Blue Eagle Gym inside the Ateneo de Manila University campus.
“It gives us a lot more continuity and a lot more follow-up, immediate follow-up, that we can look at what we did,” Cone added. “So it’s much more efficient to use our time, and that’s why we insist on going to a place like Inspire.”
“Inspire has all the facilities that we want, it’s all together. We don’t have to go anywhere.”