Players to watch for Gilas Pilipinas and New Zealand Tall Blacks in their Fiba Asia Cup 2025 clash: Justin Brownlee and Corey Webster. –FIBA/INQUIRER photos
Gilas Pilipinas’ numbers took a hit in a tough test in the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers on Thursday night.
But national coach Tim Cone assured that his charges will put in a resolute performance against strong New Zealand, who have worn the Philippines’ number for as long as they can remember.
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“We’re a little banged up, but the guys are digging in and ready to play,” Cone told the Inquirer on the eve of the 7:30 p.m. clash at the Mall of Asia Arena, where the world No. 34 Filipino will be ranked 22nd . Fighting for place The top-ranked Tall Blacks were able to break the 2-0 lead between the two Group B leaders.
SCHEDULE: Gilas Pilipinas in the 2025 Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers
Cone announced that the Nationals will miss young big man AJ Edu, not because of a knee problem, while Calvin Oftana and Chris Newsome will play despite respective leg problems.
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“We never really met AJ so he won’t play. We couldn’t get clearance from the doctors,” Cone said. “Calvin has a calf problem but he will try to deal with it. The same goes for Chris with his Achilles tendon.”
Jamie Malonzo has long been ruled out for the second window as he has not yet fully recovered from a calf injury.
READ: How to watch Gilas Pilipinas in the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers
The squad’s standard bearers include naturalized star Justin Brownlee and returning cornerstones June Mar Fajardo and Scottie Thompson. Japeth Aguilar, CJ Perez, Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo, Kevin Quiambao, Mason Amos and the recently released Kai Sotto will reprise their roles in the side that will attempt to end New Zealand’s years of dominance in the Philippines.
Bad endings
Gilas’ last four meetings with the Tall Blacks on the Fiba stage have ended in defeats, with the Kiwis winning by an average of 24.25 points. The Kiwis’ greatest triumph came two years ago in the Asian World Cup qualifiers in Auckland, where they defeated a cadet team led by Tamayo and Ramos.
A good feeling
The Nationals spent three and a half days training behind closed doors at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna before defeating a Meralco side that fielded two reinforcements in a friendly.
And what Cone saw on this track gives him confidence to compete.
READ: Justin Brownlee ‘highly motivated’ for Gilas Pilipinas bid after PBA finals loss
“We have a good feeling about our preparation. “There is never as much time to prepare as we would like,” he said. “But the guys really did a lot of work in the time we had.”
A win on Thursday not only secures the Philippines a spot in the main tournament to be played in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia next August, but also eases the Nationals’ path to their return match against Hong Kong on Sunday.
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But more than that, a win will give Cone and the basketball frontrunners needed reassurance that the endurance team is truly on track toward its ultimate goal of returning to Olympic qualifying at the World Championships and after a promising run in the Olympic qualifiers in Latvia maybe the Summer Olympics.