Tim Cone’s new iteration of Gilas Pilipinas passed its first test with flying colors, having swept Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers’ first window.
But now that the final buzzer has sounded, the celebrations have ended and the praises — even from their biggest critics — have been expressed, what are their next steps moving forward?
“We were just talking in the locker room about how this kinda feels like an ending right now because we won’t play again until another three or four months, even five months. So it kinda feels like an ending for us,” Cone said during the post-game presser, while also expressing how his troops will now be returning to their respective teams and leagues.
“Kai’s gotta get back to his team in Japan, the PBA starts in a few days, so it’s back to the grind,” the Barangay Ginebra mentor added.
Fortunately for Gilas, they will have their hands full once they return in late June as they prepare for the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament wherein they are scheduled to face Latvia and Georgia.
“We’ve got some invitations from Lithuania, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. We’re gonna work our way through those, and then see what we can do,” revealed the two-time PBA Grand Slam champion coach.
It is now just a matter of squeezing these games in a span of less than two weeks, especially since that is the only given period — not only by the PBA and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas — but also by the UAAP, NCAA and the overseas leagues.
“The window for us to do it is only 10 days. That’s our agreement with the PBA. That’s our agreement with the NCAA and UAAP, and also the agreement with the Japan league,” Coach Tim bared.
“They can only release them for so long for a FIBA window. Ten days, it is for us,” he continued.
This is the reason why Cone is hoping that they can still be together even for a little longer.
“We were like, ‘We wish we had one more game, or another game to play, like next week or in a couple of days, so we could keep this group together.’ But it’s not something we control.”
For now, Cone will be shifting his focus to Ginebra as they hope to bounce back from their semifinals exit in the 2023-2024 Commissioner’s Cup.
They will be facing the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters to open their Philippine Cup campaign on March 8 at 7:30 p.m. (ABS-CBN News)