Gilas Pilipinas has secured a spot in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup, but head coach Tim Cone is preparing for the most challenging phase of the national team’s campaign in the final window of qualifiers, set for three months from now.
The Filipinos will face back-to-back away games against Chinese Taipei on February 20 and New Zealand on February 23, 2025. They will first compete in Chinese Taipei before heading to Auckland for a rematch with the Tall Blacks.
In their previous encounters, Gilas Pilipinas dominated Chinese Taipei with a score of 106-53 at Philsports Arena during the first window last February. They also achieved a significant victory against the 22nd-ranked Tall Blacks, winning 93-89 at the Mall of Asia Arena in the recently concluded second window.
Now, the team must adapt to playing outside their home environment. “The whole point of these windows is to improve. We need to leverage our experiences from the second window and the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) to elevate our game for the next window,” Cone stated.
He emphasized the importance of learning to win on the road, noting that facing both the Taiwanese and Tall Blacks back-to-back will be a formidable challenge as they prepare for the Asia Cup tournament in Saudi Arabia from August 5 to 17. “These two away games in February will be the toughest part of the window, facing the two strongest teams on the road,” Cone remarked.
“It’s going to be a tough load for us, and we’re looking forward to that challenge.”
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