SBP’s goal is LA Olympics

SBP president Al Panlilio is disappointed that Gilas failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics but the dream of making it to the Los Angeles Games in 2028 is alive and that’s the goal to work on for the next four years.

There are two ways to earn a ticket to LA. First is to finish as the highest-placed Asian country in the FIBA World Cup. And second is to top one of four FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. Both routes will require qualifiers so the road isn’t easy. But the more doable path is to clinch the slot through the FIBA World Cup whose next edition will be on Aug. 27-Sept. 12, 2027 in Qatar.

“In the OQT in Latvia, we proved we can compete with the best in the world,” said Panlilio. “Our vision is to go to LA through the World Cup by becoming the highest Asian finisher. In Latvia, I felt we had a 50-50 chance against Brazil in the semis if only Kai (Sotto) played and even if only for five to 10 minutes to make an impact like Willis Reed (with the New York Knicks in Game Seven of the 1970 NBA Finals). Kai was cleared by doctors to play and joined the shootaround but just before the game, he told (coach) Tim (Cone) he couldn’t play because he was still in pain. If only we had (AJ) Edu, June Mar (Fajardo) wouldn’t have had to extend himself. If we had Jamie (Malonzo) and Scottie (Thompson), maybe we would’ve gone to the final, who knows? But we showed we can compete with the big boys.”

Panlilio said Cone’s philosophy of sticking with a 12-man pool is to cement familiarity with his system because preparations for FIBA windows are always limited. “It’s not like before where we had a pool of 24 or more,” he said. “We would do different lineups for different competitions and at the start of practice, we had to start from scratch. With a core team, Tim can regroup the players to start practice right away. If injuries come in, Tim can always adjust to bring in players who already know his system.”

Panlilio said he once suggested for Cone to allow his assistants to coach in certain FIBA windows so he can pace himself. “But Tim wants to coach in every window because he believes every competition is a building block for the next,” he said. “Tim’s a stickler for consistency and discipline.”

Regarding Justin Brownlee as Gilas’ naturalized player, Panlilio said the 36-year-old star continues to shine. SBP is naturalizing Bennie Boatwright, 28, for the future and Ange Kouame, 26, is available as backup. In tournaments like the SEA Games where only a passport is required for eligibility, it’s an option to enlist more than one naturalized player.