Gilas Pilipinas begins its training camp for the second window of the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers. –PHOTO SBP
Gilas Pilipinas will face a new New Zealand team in the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers next Thursday, but national coach Tim Cone knows all too well how dangerous a team can be when starting from scratch.
“I think it’s their first game together, as a group,” he said of the Tall Blacks who will now have Judd Flavell, a member of the famous 2002 World Cup team, as their new coach -chief.
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“I remember our first match when we played in Hong Kong when we first met. There was a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of energy and we couldn’t wait to play. So we expect that from them,” he continued.
Cone and his long-time World Cup-oriented cast made their debut last February during the first window of continental qualifying and quickly made an impression.
The Nationals beat Hong Kong by 30 points, then crushed Chinese-Taipei by 53 a few days later to take an early lead in Group B.
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Since then, most of that team has trained and fought important battles together, including the stunning upset of then-world No. 6 Latvia on home turf in the Olympic qualifying tournament last July.
This series of successes could place the Nationals as favorites in the match scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena. But Cone sees things from another angle.
“They will know us a little better because they saw us at the OQT, and they have already seen us in some of our windows,” emphasizes the seasoned mentor. “So in that regard, they’re going to have a little bit of an advantage.”
“Refresh your memory”
“Again, the coach is brand new and he’s brought in, you know, three or four of his players so they have continuity,” he said of New Zealand, who tackle also the shock with a 2-0. win-lose brand.
“They will bring a lot more size than in the past (because) they have a few guys who are 6-foot-11 and 7-foot. They have their youth team and now they are brought up. And so, this team looks a lot more, if I can say so, a little younger but more athletic.
A win against the Tall Blacks would give the Filipinos the lead in Group B and finally end a loss to the Kiwis. Gilas have lost their previous four meetings against New Zealand on the Fiba stage.
Gilas is hosting a camp at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba where they hope to shake off some of the cobwebs.
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“The first practice is always the hardest because we’re trying to get everyone together and get them to repeat the offense. There’s always a bit of confusion trying to remember (things), stimulating your memory a bit,” he said on the sidelines of the first day of training.
