MANILA, Philippines – As impressive as Gilas Pilipinas has been over the past year, head coach Tim Cone is convinced the best is yet to come.
Cone said injuries to key players have prevented the team from showing its full potential even as the Philippines notched a new milestone with a 93-89 win over New Zealand in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers on Thursday, November 21.
The victory is the latest addition to a growing list of firsts for the national team, which captured the gold medal in the Asian Games for the first time in six decades last year.
Gilas Pilipinas then beat a European team for the first time in 64 years when it stunned then-world No. 6 Latvia in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in July.
Four months after, the Filipinos accomplished a fresh feat by defeating the world No. 22 Tall Blacks for the first time on the FIBA stage.
“We haven’t seen our best team yet. And yet, we’ve been able to beat the No. 6 and the No. 22, so we’re still trying to see exactly where we can go and how far we can go,” said Cone.
Injuries have kept the national team from going full force.
AJ Edu has not donned the national colors for over a year due to knee issues, sitting out the first window of the Asia Cup Qualifiers in February and the OQT.
Cone had hoped to bring Edu back into the fold as the 6-foot-10 big man returned to action in the Japan B. League, but he hurt his knee again just less than two weeks before the second window of the Asia Cup Qualifiers.
Jamie Malonzo, meanwhile, has been out since April due to a calf injury.
Aside from Edu and Malonzo, Gilas missed Scottie Thompson and Kai Sotto at some point.
Thompson failed to see action in the OQT due to a back injury, while Sotto sustained a rib injury before the OQT semifinals, where the Philippines bowed to world No. 12 Brazil.
Despite the injuries, Cone lauded his players for their commitment to the program, with Edu and Malonzo still opting to join the team for the second window.
Sotto also came in early even after being put under concussion protocols following his last B. League game, recovering just in time to put up 19 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals against New Zealand.
“I’ll be honest, they’re not making big money doing this. They’re coming here basically on… a small, little portion of the salaries that they make with their home teams than what they’re making here,” said Cone.
“They’re coming in here with their hearts more than their pockets. And they’re here and they’re giving it their all,” Cone added.
“My hat is really off to the players and what they’re doing to get to this level and get to this point. I think we all should be proud of them.”
With a chance to secure its Asia Cup berth, the Philippines (3-0) shoots for a repeat win over visiting Hong Kong (0-3) on Sunday, November 24, at the Mall of Asia Arena. – Rappler.com
