goldbet Gilas Pilipinas picks up Middle Eastern lessons in Doha

AJ Edu (No. 34) came through with a lot of smart plays as he filled in for the absent Kai Sotto. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/ ANAS AL-OMARI, JORDAN BASKETBALL FEDERATION

The Gilas Pilipinas program used to enjoy some kind of proficiency against a certain opponent in the past. But with a new system in place, and over half of its players now replaced by younger ones, a pressing need for tweaks has come to the fore.

And that’s what national coach Tim Cone is hoping to do in Qatar, just before the Nationals put the finishing touches on their preparations for the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers campaign in Chinese Taipei and New Zealand next week.

Article continues after this advertisement

“Chot’s [Reyes] group—they’ve played a lot of Middle Eastern teams. They’ve played the likes of Jordan and Saudi Arabia. They’ve played Lebanon, played Syria. But this team? We haven’t played a Middle Eastern team yet,” Cone said days before the Philippine contingent flew for the four-nation showpiece in Doha.

FEATURED STORIES SPORTS PVL: PLDT ends Creamline's winning streak in five-set thriller SPORTS Gilas mounts late-game rally to squeak past Qatar in Doha Cup SPORTS NBA All-Star 2025: Familiar faces, fresh format in San Francisco

“[The players now] haven’t gotten a feel for their style,” the seasoned mentor went on. “We’ve played European, we’ve played South American, but we haven’t played Middle Eastern. So this will be a part of the preparations.”

Under Cone as head coach, Gilas has only played a total of eight nations. The Nationals battled Hong Kong, Chinese-Taipei, and New Zealand in the Asia Cup qualifiers before tackling Turkey and Poland ahead of the Olympic Qualifiers in Riga, Latvia, where they competed against the hosts, Georgia, and then Brazil.

Article continues after this advertisement Ace playmaker out

Gilas was off to a rousing start on Saturday (Manila time) after nipping the host Qatar, 74-71. They battled a higher-ranked Lebanon just before Sunday midnight, hoping to make it two against the Middle Eastern lot, and, hopefully, world No. 38 Egypt.

Article continues after this advertisement

The Cedars are without star playmaker Wael Arakji, who punished the old Gilas squads coached by Reyes and, at one point, led by Utah Jazz star Jordan Clarkson.

Article continues after this advertisement

Justin Brownlee, to nobody’s surprise, led the charge in the final period, where the Nationals wiggled out of an eight-point rut. AJ Edu, who finally made his debut under the Cone-led program, was just as key, paving the way for Brownlee and Dwight Ramos’ finishing kick in front of a thick crowd at Qatar University.

king game slot

Ramos had 15 points, June Mar Fajardo 12, while Brownlee and Scottie Thompson had 10 each. Edu delivered six points and 10 boards, announcing his return at a time when Gilas is missing the recovering Kai Sotto.

Article continues after this advertisement

“I don’t know, honestly, how long our [preparations]we’ll have in the Fiba Asia in August. I don’t know. My understanding now is it’s gonna be five days. That’s not gonna be much time to prep for that, [and] that’s why we decided to do Doha. This whole trip—including Taiwan and New Zealand—is all prep for Fiba Asia,” Cone said.

“Playing three games in a row is what we’re gonna do in Fiba Asia. I know we’ll be playing in the Middle East—in that kind of weather. So these are things we’re gonna help us prepare when we [go to] battle,” he added.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

SIGN ME UP

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

Data released by the BSP on Tuesday showed that personal remittances during the month amounted to USD3.2 billion, up from the USD3.1 billion recorded in August last year.

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Acting Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque said the companies reaffirmed their investment plans in the Philippines during her visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Oct. 3 to 5.

Gilas will be going up against regional powerhouses in Jeddah. Also qualified for the tournament are Lebanongoldbet, Jordan, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

READ NEXT Gilas Pilipinas picks up Middle Eastern lessons in Doha Angels find flaws that need correcting after escaping Highrisers EDITORS' PICK Fake European noble pleads guilty to scam targeting elderly Fil-Ams Group of ex-detainees: Quiboloy campaign video shows VIP treatment NBA All-Star 2025: Familiar faces, fresh format in San Francisco Jannik Sinner accepts three-month ban to end doping drama Cashless toll collection in major expressways back starting March 15 PVL: PLDT ends Creamline’s winning streak in five-set thriller MOST READ Cibo successors uphold Margarita Fores’ legacy Castro on Duterte’s ‘kill senators’ remark: Murder, terrorism not a joke SCHEDULE: Gilas Pilipinas at 2nd Doha International Cup Why some Hong Kongers live in homes smaller than a parking space Follow @FMangosingINQ on Twitter --> View comments