Gilas Pilipinas, the Philippines’ men’s national basketball team, has kicked off its preparations for the upcoming 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers with high hopes and a star-studded roster. Training commenced on Thursday at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna, as the team aims to build on its recent success and capitalize on the return of key reinforcement Justin Brownlee.
Brownlee’s availability for the qualifiers comes after he served a “three-month period of ineligibility” imposed by FIBA due to an anti-doping rule violation, which lasted from November 9 to February 8. With his clearance from FIBA, Brownlee rejoins the Gilas Pilipinas lineup, providing a significant boost to the team’s aspirations for success in the upcoming tournament.
The men’s national basketball team, buoyed by their Asian Games gold medal triumph last year, is eager to capitalize on their momentum and continue their winning ways in the qualifiers. Led by head coach Tim Cone, a decorated mentor in Philippine basketball, Gilas Pilipinas aims to maintain continuity and cohesion within the team, with Cone expressing his desire to keep the roster intact for the next four years.
“We wanna keep this team intact because every time we play, we either will grow from the success or the failure that we have,” Cone emphasized during the recent Philippine Sportswriters Association Awards Night. “In any kind of a basketball team, where you keep a team together as much as you can, and you try to get them to learn, through failures and successes.”
The kickoff practice at the Inspire Sports Academy saw the attendance of notable players such as Brownlee, Kai Sotto, Dwight Ramos, Chris Newsome, Kevin Quiambao, Jamie Malonzo, Calvin Oftana, and Carl Tamayo, underlining the team’s depth and talent pool.
Gilas Pilipinas is set to face Hong Kong on their home turf on February 22 at 8 p.m. (Manila time) in their first qualifier match. Subsequently, they will host Chinese Taipei at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City on February 25 at 7:30 p.m., providing an opportunity for Filipino basketball fans to rally behind the team on home soil.
