3 Questions for Gilas Pilipinas Ahead of the FIBA Asia Cup

These past few days, Gilas Pilipinas has absorbed two losses in the third leg of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers. Frankly, I don’t know what’s more surprising: the back-to-back losses in this window or the backlash from fans who are either over-the-top or sarcastic.

You have fans calling for Tim Cone to resign, the roster to be blown up, and the funding for the Gilas program to be funneled elsewhere. I truly empathize with former Gilas guard Chris Ross, who was taken aback by the somber tone of Pinoy fans online:

Gilas had their guys & were winning games it was all good. Now their main guy goes down & they lose a few games and now all yall so called "experts" want changes to the program. That's the problem. There is too much change instead of fighting adversity. Life/ball has adversity

— Chris Ross (@cmross6) February 23, 2025

Was I disappointed by Gilas Pilipinas’ losses? Certainly. Do I agree with these bombastic solutions being proposed online? Absolutely not. In a word, ang OA naman.

If we were to take these suggestions at face value, the way that Gilas moves forward is to get rid of the coach that led the national team to its first-ever victories over juggernauts Latvia and New Zealand. Alternatively, the program can get rid of all the players who have been building chemistry as a team for a year now. And, while we’re at it, we can also pull the plug on financial support and thus compromise Gilas’ prospects for short-term and long-term growth.

Ridiculous, I know. But let me be clear on one thing.

Just like you and your tito whose criticism of Gilas got louder with every bottle of light ale, I want Gilas to never take their foot off the gas and to win on a consistent basis. Here’s the difference, though: I don’t want to stand on a table and drunkenly proclaim to the basketball world that I—and I alone—have the solution to the national team’s present plight.

Sometimes, the best counter to a know-it-all is not to present your own cache of gospel truth. You can instead admit that you don’t have all the answers and open up the conversation for fellow enthusiasts to partake in. ‘Di ba mas masaya ‘yun?

With that in mind, I invite you to ponder three things that may or may not hold the key to Gilas Pilipinas reaching peak form in the one tournament that matters now: the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup. Let me know what you think…

Who can step up in the absence of Kai Sotto?

Let’s admit it: The absence of Kai Sotto cost us big time. On the one hand, his gravity, playmaking, and much-refined offensive skill set were sorely missed. The excess of forced shots and the audacity of our opponents to stick to single coverage are clear pieces of evidence to support that claim. On the other hand, his towering presence on the defensive end—not to mention his impact on the boards—made our players expend even more energy to contain ball handlers and formidable bigs. 

At this point, no one knows for sure when Kaiju will suit up once again for the national team. The question, then, is whether the current lineup of Gilas bigs can compensate for Sotto’s attributes in the FIBA Asia Cup. AJ Edu has great defensive instincts, but he lacks polish on the offensive end. Carl Tamayo has the skills to stretch the floor, though he had a dismal shooting percentage in the two losses. While June Mar Fajardo and Japeth Aguilar are the grizzled vets of this bunch, neither of them is the imposing presence of yesteryear.

Can any of our current Gilas bigs equal or even surpass Kai Sotto’s contributions? Or will our bigs have to pull this off by committee?

Is it finally time to expand the Gilas Pilipinas pool?

Let me just get this out of the way: Having several Gilas prospects to choose from is a much, much better problem than dealing with a scarcity of players worthy of the national team.

With that being said, there are pros and cons to every tactical move that Tim Cone and his staff can do with the Gilas pool. For over a year now, the winningest coach in PBA history has insisted on sticking to his vision of a core group, which has seen the slightest of tweaks to replace injured players. But, as we’ve seen in these losses to Chinese Taipei and New Zealand, the core group approach hasn’t just increased the players’ familiarity with one another. Our opponents have also gotten to know the players well, leading to well-tailored defensive strategies.

All across social media, fans have proposed a myriad of “Take out player x, bring in player y” scenarios. Certainly, there’s a variety of professional and collegiate options—both on local soil and overseas—for the Gilas braintrust to consider. However, I can’t help thinking that every player taken out of the Gilas pool is a wasted asset that has already stockpiled knowledge of the team’s offensive and defensive playbook. Alternatively, we can just add players to the pool without taking any of the core players out.

Should Gilas stick to the core group approach? Or should the national team bring in new faces? If they do, would there be a need to take certain players out of the pool?

Is Gilas Pilipinas relying too much on Justin Brownlee?

In this past window, it was no coincidence that both Chinese Taipei and New Zealand deployed the defensive tactic of invading Justin Brownlee’s privacy. The Ginebra stalwart was constantly hounded by double-teams and blitzes in an effort to get the ball out of his hands. No surprises here—our opponents know exactly where Gilas Pilipinas goes to ignite runs, close gaps, and get clutch conversions.

Against Chinese Taipei, Brownlee took 19 of Gilas’ 58 field goal attempts. Do the math, and you’ll realize that Justin Noypi essentially put up one-third of Gilas’ shots from the field. Incidentally (or not), he also had five turnovers in this ball-dominant outing. 

After this close game against Chinese Taipei, Brownlee put up just eight attempts against the Tall Blacks, whose defensive strategy clearly indicated that they wanted some other Pinoy to take the lion’s share of shots. Brownlee ended up finishing with 10 points as New Zealand sealed the 17-point victory.

Moving forward, Gilas can go with the tried-and tested, Brownlee-heavy offense, but their opponents in Saudi Arabia now have plenty of FIBA footage that can inform their defensive strategy. On the other hand, the coaching staff can make a more concerted effort to share the ball and get more players involved. This is surely a more team-oriented approach, but this is predicated on all our scorers making more than they miss.

Has the Gilas offense become too predictable with its emphasis on Justin Brownlee? Should certain players get more touches?

My head hurts trying to imagine how our beloved national team can perform at their finest in the FIBA Asia Cup. I guess I could have just taken a shortcut and simply typed “FIRE TIM CONE” before calling it a day. After all, I was disappointed by those two Ls.

But I don’t work like that. More often than not, I prefer to let my mind prevail over my heart. And my mind tells me that I don’t have all the answers. That’s why, as a Gilas Pilipinas fan, nagtatanong lang po.

What about you, dear reader? Any thoughts on the Gilas losses and the team’s preparations for the FIBA Asia Cup? Let us know by joining the ALL-STAR conversation on Facebook and Instagram!