Gilas Pilipinas begins its training camp for the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers second window. –SBP PHOTO
Gilas Pilipinas goes up against a new-look Recent Zealand squad within the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers this coming Thursday, but national coach Tim Cone knows all too well just how dangerous a team might be when ranging from scratch.
“I believe that is their first game together, as a gaggle,” he said of the Tall Blacks who will now have Judd Flavell, a member of the famed 2002 World Cup roster, as its latest head coach.
Article continues after this commercial
“I remember our first game after we played in Hong Kong after we first got together. There was a variety of excitement, a variety of energy and we were raring to play. So we expect that from them,” he went on.
Cone and his long-haul forged geared toward the subsequent World Cup made their debut last February in the primary window of the continental qualifiers and quickly made an impression.
The Nationals whipped Hong Kong by 30 points after which crushed Chinese-Taipei by 53 a couple of days later for an early lead in Group B play.
Article continues after this commercial
Since then, the glut of that squad has trained and played vital battles together, including the stunning upset of then-World No. 6 Latvia on the latter’s home turf within the Olympic Qualifying Tournament last July.
That string of success might install the Nationals as favorites within the match set at 7:30 p.m. at Mall of Asia Arena. But Cone is it from one other angle.
“They’ll know us slightly bit higher because they’ve seen us within the OQT, they usually’ve seen us in a few of our windows already,” the seasoned mentor identified. “So, in that regard, they’re going to have slightly little bit of advantage.”
‘Jogging your memory’
“Again, the coach is brand latest and he’s brought, you already know, three or 4 of his players along so that they’re going to have continuity,” he said of Recent Zealand, which can also be going into the clash with a 2-0 win-loss mark.
“They’ll herald a variety of more size than they’ve up to now [as] they got a pair of fellows who’re 6-foot-11, 7 feet. They [have their] youth team and now they’re being brought up. And so, this team looks lots more, if I could say, a bit younger but more athletic.”
A win over the Tall Blacks will give the Philippine solo lead of Group B, and can finally end a losing skid to the Kiwis. Gilas has lost all of its 4 previous meetings to Recent Zealand on the Fiba stage.
Gilas has been holding camp at Encourage Sports Academy in Calamba where they hope to shake off some cobwebs.
“The primary practice is at all times the toughest one because we’re attempting to get everybody again and we’re attempting to get them to rehash the offense. There’s at all times slightly little bit of confusion attempting to sort of remember (things), jogging your memory slightly bit,” he said on the sidelines of the primary day of coaching.
