GILAS Pilipinas got the job done in the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers with a squad that National coach Tim Cone described as “not an all-star team.”
“This is not, as we always keep saying, not an all-star team. We’re not out there to showcase our individual skills,” Cone said. “We’ve got to come together as a team, and sometimes it takes some hard coaching, and that’s what I love about this team. “They really accept that idea, and it makes it so much easier from a coaching standpoint to handle this team. I love this team,” he added.
Cone spoke after his charges manhandled Hong Kong 93-54 last Sunday night in Group B play before a raucous crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The Philippines’ 39-point demolition of the Chinese served as a fitting follow-up to a stunning 93-89 victory over world No. 22 New Zealand last Thursday and remained unscathed with a 4-0 mark.
The Tall Blacks’ 81-64 rout of Chinese Taipei in Christchurch enabled Gilas to formally bag a slot in the Asia Cup (formerly the ABC Championship and FIBA Asia Championship) set in August next year in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Cone maintained their mission is far from over—the third and final round of the qualifiers, while it will have no bearing, will serve as a stern test for the Filipino cagers.
“The two away games we’re going to have in February are going to be the toughest part of this window. Two toughest teams, and both on the road. It’s going to be a tough load for us and we’re already looking forward to that challenge,” Cone said. “With the short preparation time and the big gaps between the windows, it’s hard to keep everybody updated on the system and how we do things.
“I was telling the guys that on the first practice that we had coming back, I kind of assumed that they would know everything because we just came from the OQT (Olympic qualifying tournament) a few months ago but they went back and they started playing a different system, and they completely forgot.”
Without the hometown spectators next year, Cone wants his team to sustain its charge.
“It’s always great to have our fans at full houses here. It’s awesome, but when we get on the road, we have to be able to play at the same level because all of the tournaments that we play are going to be on the road,” he said. “We had that one opportunity in the World Cup in 2023 to play at home.
“But now all of them are going to be on the road. So, we’ve got to learn how to play well on the road.”
