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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Tim Cone sticking to his guns as Gilas looks beyond Asia Cup

Tim Cone sticking to his guns as Gilas looks beyond Asia Cup

Published Aug 14, 2025 10:17 am  |  Updated Aug 14, 2025 01:24 pm

At A Glance

  • National team head coach Tim Cone is sticking to his guns when it comes to making tweaks to his lineup, insisting that keeping the team together and helping them improve remained the foundation of the program that the veteran coach and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas have established.
Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone has faith in his current roster. (FIBA)
Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone has faith in his current roster. (FIBA)
Don't expect significant changes to Gilas Pilipinas -- at least in terms of personnel -- even after falling short in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.
National team head coach Tim Cone remains committed to his current roster, emphasizing that continuity and player development are at the core of the pogram he and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas have buit.
“We put this team together for the long term in trying to get them to grow together and get better. If we are just going to change personnel, then we all go back to zero again,” insisted Cone.
“We are going to use this and try to make some adjustments,“ he added.
The Nationals wrapped up the tournament with a 2-3 record, securing victories against lower-ranked but vastly improved Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Their losses came ath the hands of perennial rivals Chinese Taipei and New Zealand during the group stage, and then to regional powerhouse and world No. 7 Australia in the quarterfinals.
The loss against the Boomers -- and arguable their overall performance in the tournament -- was largely a case of the national team not playing to its full potential.
A major factor in that, according to Cone, was the absence of star center Kai Sotto, whose presence takes Gilas in an entirely different level.
“I really like our team. I like the way we play. I like the togetherness. They are all good guys and they are easy to coach but I didn't like our performance tonight,“ said Cone.
“The big missing piece for us is Kai Sotto. Hopefully, we get Kai and that makes us a little bit more competitive,“ he added.
For Cone, it’s still to early to pinpoint what went wrong and what needs to be improved for Gilas.
He stressed that the team needs to go back to the videos, review everything that transpired and make the necessary adjustments before the Nationals plunge back to action again in the first window of the 2027 World Cup qualifiers in November.
Gilas is grouped with New Zealand, Australia, and Guam, meaning they will face each team twice in a home-and-away format during the first phase of the qualifiers.
“It's still too early to look and see what we need. We have to really digest this, look at the video, and see what is going on to go forward,“ said the veteran mentor.
“We got them coming up again in the world cup qualifiers in our bracket so we got to figure out some things. It is still ahead of us,“ he added.
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