Gilas ready, motivated

Nats out to zero in on outright Asia Cup spot

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas doesn’t need much pep talk to get fired up for tonight’s FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers duel with New Zealand.

The fact that the Nationals are playing in front of adoring home supporters in an official FIBA game for the first time since February is enough to make them motivated.

Then there’s the one-sidedness of their history with the Tall Blacks marred by four lopsided losses since 2016, making payback an additional driving force in the 7:30 p.m. gig at the MOA Arena.

“We want to certainly protect our home court, and we want to show ourselves to the Gilas fans around the country. These are all very, very important to us. So, I really expect us to be ready and motivated to play,” Cone said.

Against an opposition ranked 12 places higher in the global totem pole, the No. 34 Nationals look to replicate their giant-killing effort in their previous campaign in Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) last July.

In that qualifying meet for the Paris Olympiad, Cone’s gutsy crew took down world No. 6 and host Latvia, 89-80, en route to a semifinal stint. That, plus the tough stands against Georgia and eventual winner Brazil in the semis have proven Gilas’ mettle as one team that higher-ranked rivals like the Kiwis can’t afford to underestimate.

“New Zealand has handled us over the last few years and they’ve beaten us pretty badly when we played them. But I really, really feel there’s a sense that we can beat them this time around and there’s a certain confidence in the players and it’s deserving,” Cone said on One Sports.

“Just believe. If we can come in with the belief that we can do it, I think we will do it,” he added.

According to Cone, AJ Edu (knee issues) will join Jamie Malonzo (calf) in the sidelines, leaving Justin Brownlee, June Mar Fajardo, Calvin Oftana, Scottie Thompson, Dwight Ramos, Chris Newsome, CJ Perez, Kai Sotto, Carl Tamayo, Kevin Quiambao and alternates Japeth Aguilar and Mason Amos with the job.

“AJ will not play, as well as Jamie. We couldn’t get clearance from the doctors,” Cone told The STAR yesterday.

“Calvin has a calf problem but will try to play through it, the same with Chris with his hamstring. We’re a little dinged up but the guys are digging in and ready to play,” he added.

It will be a battle for the Group B lead and a step closer to the 2025 Asia Cup proper in Saudi for the Nationals and the Kiwis, who have both swept their two-game assignments back in the first window.

The Tall Blacks, under new coach Judd Flavell, are fielding a mix of veterans like Corey Webster and former Converge import Tom Vodanovich and promising youngsters like 17-year-old FIBA U17 World Cup standout Oscar Goodman in their bid to extend their dominance of the Filipinos.