In the words of the great Kobe Bryant, the job’s not done for Gilas Pilipinas.
That much head coach Tim Cone emphasized after the national team beat Iran, 68‑66, on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena to sweep the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
“We were saying in the locker room that this was really a special moment but this wasn’t our goal. Our goal is to make the World Cup and all it did was give us a big step forward,” Cone stressed. “So, the job is not done. We still have work to do but this was a nice step forward. Hopefully we continue to take steps forward.”
Two wins in Window 4 against quality competition—the first one a scintillating 82‑81 triumph in OT—are certainly a nice step forward given where Gilas Pilipinas was just a few days ago. Entering the second round of these qualifiers, the Philippines was a distant fifth in Group E at 2‑4 and two games behind 4‑2 New Zealand for fourth place.
After beating Jordan and Iran, Gilas Pilipinas is still in fifth place in Group E but no longer carries a losing record. Importantly, the national team is just one game behind both Jordan and Iran.
Gilas Can Compete on the World Level, Says Cone
The twin wins also emboldened Cone, who emphasized his belief that the Philippines can compete on a global level in hoops—as long as the country’s very best are playing. When that happens, it’s sky’s the limit, according to Cone.
“When we have our best players, we can compete with anybody. We really feel we can, especially in Asia, but we feel we can compete on a European level or Australian level. But we just haven’t been able to get all of our best players together,” said Cone. “But once that happens, I think you’ll really see some special things, some special moments for the program.”
Over the weekend, Gilas Pilipinas showed the level it could reach with the lineup Cone wants—and that’s without a naturalized player. Kai Sotto was the biggest game‑changer, but the national team’s younger core—Kevin Quiambao, Juan Gomez de Liaño, AJ Edu, Dwight Ramos, and Carl Tamayo—also proved ready for the big time, teaming up with Sotto to secure both wins.
A Nation Can Dream
The immediate goal of making next year’s World Cup is still a work in progress, but Cone appears to believe again that it really can happen—so much so that he’s starting to look at the ultimate goal: the Olympics.
“How special would it be for us to make the World Cup again and then have a chance, from there, to go to the Olympics?” Cone asked. “That’s really the ultimate goal.”
That’s a lofty goal, for sure. But, for now, the World Cup remains the sole focus.
