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Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone during a game vs New Zealand in the 2027 Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. –FIBA PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—As usual, Gilas Pilipinas had a huge boost from the Filipino fans in their match against New Zealand in the 2027 Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
Despite Gilas playing in the Tall Blacks’ home court at Spark Arena in Auckland, Filipinos dominated the stands and cheered on the visiting team.
At this point, that scene is nothing new for coach Tim Cone.
“It doesn’t matter where we go, whether it’s the Middle East, Europe, other parts of Asia or down under, we have those crowds,” he said after their 106-102 double overtime loss to New Zealand on Friday.
“It’s just unique to what we do and it’s so easy for us to get used to it. We forget how unique that is. I don’t think any other national team in the world has that kind of following.”
Gilas Pilipinas’ Dwight Ramos being helped up by his teammates during a game vs New Zealand in the Fiba World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers in Auckland. –FIBA PHOTO
While hearing Filipino fans drown out the locals’ cheers, Cone was disappointed as Gilas Pilipinas couldn’t repay their support with a win.
“That makes it even tougher when we don’t deliver for them. Obviously, we played with a lot of pride but the bottom line is we have to win games for them. We didn’t do that tonight,” he said. “We really take it hard when we don’t play well in front of our crowd.”
The Ginebra mentor wasn’t the only one wowed by the Philippines’ support in Auckland.
Dwight Ramos finished with 18 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal in 37 minutes for Gilas.
He has the Filipino crowd to thank for his energy.
“We never play in an empty gym because there’s Filipinos everywhere and it means a lot to play for the country. I never take it for granted, I just try my best and always be available for the team,” he said.
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Gilas hopes for another strong turnout from Filipino supporters on Monday when it faces Australia in Perth.
