At A Glance
- The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) firmly believed the Gilas Pilipinas program is on track to reap the fruits of its labor and in the near future make it back to the Olympics.
Justin Brownlee (FIBA)
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) firmly believed the Gilas Pilipinas program is on track to reap the fruits of its labor and in the near future make it back to the Olympics.
Despite the obvious challenges hindering the goal, the SBP is determined to send a Philippine team in the quadrennial meet.
“We do believe we have the chance to get to the Olympics for all those four teams [Gilas 5-on-5 and 3x3 Men and Women], we have carved pathways for them,” said SBP executive director Erika Dy.
“Even for our Gilas Men as disappointing as the Asia Cup was, we’re actually still in pace of our goal of making it in the Olympics,” she added.
Last month, the Justin Brownlee-led crew fell short anew to reach the podium as it was eliminated by eventual champion Australia, 84-60, in the quarterfinal of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Dy underscored that the Asia Cup setback wouldn’t affect Gilas' goal of entering the Los Angeles Games as the real challenge begins in the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers as well as in the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.
“Because the World Cup Qualifiers, that’s where it starts, it doesn’t begin until November, December, so we have to regroup,” Dy continued. “I believe coach Tim (Cone) knows what to do, he had a really good assessment of the previous tournament and he’s already working towards adjustment for the coming qualifiers.”
Gilas begins its World Cup Asia Qualifiers campaign with back-to-back games against Guam on Nov. 28 and Dec. 1 here before facing Australia and New Zealand in 2026.