Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone expressed his excitement over the addition of new faces with Mike Phillips, Troy Rosario and Justine Baltazar to the national team.

With the Nationals dealing with manpower issues due to the absences of Kai Sotto, Quentin Millora-Brown and Calvin Oftana, it opened up an opportunity for the three to finally get their Gilas callups.

But they were not just named in the Final 12 just to fill in the missing spots for the third window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers. Cone stressed that they are actually very much part of the long-term program for Gilas.

“Well, you know, we really look at guys and bring them in for a purpose. We don't just look at the talent and say, you know, he's the most talented player there, so therefore we're going to get him,” explained Cone.

“We try to make him come in and fit the puzzle of the vision that we have for the team,” he stressed.

The newest of the three, of course, is Phillips who recently got his local status from FIBA, allowing him to represent the country in the FIBA-sanctioned tournaments like the qualifiers

“His name is Motor Mike, and there's a reason why he's Motor Mike. It's a very apt nickname. He comes in and goes at it,” said Cone.

Phillips and Rosario, for Cone, played somewhat similar roles for the team — to provide energy and hustle. Rosario, of course, has been part of Gilas as a reserve and was elevated to the main 12 following the Nationals’ lack of bigs for the window.

“We haven't had Troy and Mike together in a practice yet. We're looking forward to that. We might see some sparks and fireworks going on between those two because both of them have tremendous motors,” said Cone.

“That'll really lift the energy of our team, I think. And it's just really a matter for Mike how much he can pick up in terms of the system, defensively especially, but even the offensive system. That's going to be crucial for Mike,” he added.

Baltazar, on the other hand, is finally making his Gilas comeback after having served under former head coach Tab Baldwin. 

It will be his first time playing for Cone on the international stage and the veteran mentor was naturally excited about what the Converge big man, who he deemed has ‘high ceiling’, could bring to the table.

“We know him from the last window. We had him through the whole camp, and he impressed us then,” Cone said of Baltazar.

“When we lost a couple of our bigs to Q and Kai, we looked around and tried to find someone who would be a versatile big that we could throw at different positions. And he's a player with a high ceiling, and we're hoping that he can play in that high ceiling,” he furthered.