Gilas Pilipinas won the first of its two tune-up games against South Korean squads on Thursday, beating the visiting Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus, 81-76, at the San Miguel Sports Facility.
It was a close game all throughout, with neither side able to build sustained momentum for a breakaway. The national team, though, got a huge boost from the returning Kai Sotto, who leaned on his size to batter the South Korean side inside.
But save for Sotto’s superb showing, there wasn’t much to be pleased about Gilas Pilipinas’ effort, at least in the eyes of national team coach Tim Cone.
“We didn’t play well, but the game gave us a good indication of where we are and how far we have to go to get ready,” said Cone in a brief statement following the game.
What Does It All Mean for Gilas Pilipinas?
Cone is right. Gilas Pilipinas, for all its continuity over the past few months, is still not in top form—and it can be a cause of some worry. As of this writing, the national team has only seven days of preparation remaining before it takes on Jordan in the first of two must-win games in Window 4 of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
A big cause of concern, in particular, might be Justin Brownlee’s fitness. The 38-year-old naturalized reinforcement is coming off multiple leg injuries and was held out of the game, as was Ulsan’s import, former NBA player Darius Bazley. As of now, it is fair to wonder what condition Brownlee is in and whether he’s in the kind of shape needed to be effective against two of the Middle East’s top squads in Jordan and Iran.
Reintegrating Sotto could also be a concern, as the big man hasn’t played for Gilas Pilipinas in any of the windows in this cycle of qualifiers. Against Ulsan, though, Sotto looked mostly comfortable, and that should be something Cone and the rest of the team could build on as game day approaches.
But overall, Gilas Pilipinas on Thursday didn’t look like a team that can beat either Jordan or Iran. The good news is the nationals still have seven days, including today, to round into fighting form.
