WHILE there’s surely strength in numbers, the Gilas Pilipinas national team training pool is making the best out of what it has so far.
Nine players are showing up in daily practices, led by naturalized star Justin Brownlee, Dwight Ramos, former MVP Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo, Chris Newsome, Carl Tamayo, AJ Edu, Japeth Aguilar, Troy Rosario and RJ Abarrientos as they await their comrades from TNT (Calvin Oftana) and San Miguel Beer (reigning eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez) who are battling it out in the PBA Philippine Cup finals.
For Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas President Al Panlilio, National coach Tim Cone’s approach of having a smaller pool should instead serve them in good stead.
“There are things beyond our control but we’re still thankful to the PBA because they’ve adjusted their calendar as much as they could to accommodate us, not just for the FIBA Asia Cup but through all the qualifying windows,” Panlilio said. “We won’t have a lot of days as a complete team.
“But that’s the beauty of having a smaller pool, that’s the logic behind coach Tim’s idea,” he added.
The Filipino cagers are set to see action in the FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from Aug. 5 to 17.
Cone and his wards are busy putting in the work in Manila, refreshing their knowledge of the systems they’ve put in place in the past windows of the qualifiers.
The 6-foot-5 Brownlee attended practice earlier this week but he was already hard at work to get back to his usual conditioning immediately after landing on Philippine shores anew.
Brownlee will be suiting up for the Philippine five after FIBA concluded that the presence of Carboxy-THC in Brownlee’s sample from November 21, 2024 does not constitute an Anti-Doping Rule Violation, considering the approved Therapeutic Use Exemption.
He has fully recovered from the thumb injury he suffered in the last Commissioner’s Cup finals and has a full range of motion already but is still in the process of getting back into game shape.
Gilas is scheduled to have nine more practice sessions in Manila until July 30, before leaving for Jeddah. They have also planned a short camp in Pampanga from July 25 to 27.
The team awaits the return of Kevin Quiambao from the United States.
Gilas tangles with the Macau Black Bears in a tune-up game on July 28 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum—a fitting send-off before the Nationals show their real worth.
