Gilas Pilipinas will field a fresh team to compete in the Asian Games following a successful stand at home in the recent FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers last month.
The Philippines, which won the Asian Games gold medal in basketball in Hangzhou in 2023, sent an 11-man delegation for the quadrennial meet to be held in Aichi and Nagoya in Japan.
The team is composed of RJ Abarrientos, Robert Bolick, Adrian Nocum, Sedrick Barefield, Zavier Lucero, Don Trollano, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, Jerrick Ahanmisi, Justin Arana, and Justine Baltazar.
The 12th spot is reserved for naturalised player Justin Brownlee.
With the exception of Arana and Baltazar, the rest of the crew were not part of the same team that competed in the World Cup qualifying window.
A lesson from history
While Gilas coach Tim Cone’s choice of players is unusual, considering how effective the previous team had been against Jordan and Iran in the World Cup qualifying window, the veteran tactician said that this line-up remains advantageous for the country.
Cone said that the Gilas’ tough victories over Jordan in overtime, 82-81, and Iran, 67-59, warrant the need for a fresh delegation in the Asian Games.
“You come off these windows like these, you’re really exhausted, the preparation you had to do. Then, you got to turn around and go right to the Asian Games,” said Cone in a report from Spin.Ph.
In 2014, the Philippines finished as the second-best squad of the basketball World Cup of the same year, tallying a win even against Senegal.
However, its succeeding campaign in the Asian Games held in Incheon, South Korea, proved disastrous after finishing seventh in the tournament.
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Gilas B team?
However, some Filipino fans argue that this Gilas team is certainly not the best players that the country can offer in a prominent competition such as the Asian Games.
Availability issues may have contributed to this line-up, as Kai Sotto, Dwight Ramos, Kevin Quiambao, AJ Edu, and Carl Tamayo opted not to play for Gilas for this year’s Asian Games due to their other professional commitments.
June Mar Fajardo, who was a cornerstone player of Gilas for 13 years, has announced his retirement from national team duties.
Still, this Gilas line-up offers some of the rising stars in the Philippine basketball scene, such as Abarrientos, Bolick, Nocum, Arana, and Baltazar.
With the old guard, like Fajardo, receding from Gilas Pilipinas, the time may be ripe to develop the country’s upcoming players for international competition, and the Asian Games is certainly a good opportunity for such a long-term endeavour.
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