Keep the faith

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February 25, 2025 | 12:00am

Counting back to the second Doha International Cup, Gilas has now dropped four in a row on an average losing margin of 19 points. It’s surely not a rousing send-off for Coach Tim Cone’s squad moving towards the FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah on Aug. 5-17. There’s no momentum to build on. But if Gilas keeps the faith, the down streak can be motivation to rebound strong, work on loose ends and battle back with a vengeance.

But first, let’s forget about Kai Sotto who would never allow himself to be an excuse. Could Gilas have done better in the last four games with Sotto? Of course. It’s difficult to find a replacement for a 7-3 do-it-all center. But as the saying goes, it is what it is. Sotto won’t be available until eight to 12 months from now so Gilas just has to move on. Cone will adjust, play the cards he’s dealt with and find ways to fill the gap no matter how wide it is.

Against New Zealand in Gilas’ final outing of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers the other day, Cone faced eight new players who weren’t around when the Tall Blacks lost at the MOA Arena last November. In contrast, Gilas returned nine players so Cone had hardly anything fresh to offer in Auckland. But the silver lining was Gilas outscored New Zealand, 37-34, in the second half even as Justin Brownlee contributed only two points. Gilas took the third quarter, 22-21 and fourth, 15-13. Another positive was Gilas committed just seven turnovers when against Lebanon in Doha, it had 19.

The problem was Gilas succumbed to the physical and all-court defense that the Tall Blacks unleashed from start to finish. New Zealand was in Gilas’ face throughout, losing no advantage in switching off ball-screens because of its length of coverage. The Tall Blacks made Brownlee look like a mortal as in 34:05 minutes, he could produce only 10 points, four rebounds and three assists.

In Gilas’ game against Chinese-Taipei last Thursday, Brownlee erupted for 39 points in 38:03 minutes. Chinese-Taipei coach Gianluca Tucci’s gamble was to allow Brownlee his touches and goad him to go one-on-one against single coverage while making sure his teammates were contained. It was the reverse with New Zealand. The tactics worked either way.

Cone stretched his rotation a little bit more against New Zealand. In the Chinese-Taipei game, Brownlee, Dwight Ramos and Scottie Thompson soaked in at least 37 minutes each. Only Brownlee logged at least 30 against the Tall Blacks. The revelation in the third qualifying window was AJ Edu who had 10 points against Chinese-Taipei and 15 rebounds against New Zealand. Edu, 25, will be a cornerstone of the future along with Sotto, 22, Ramos, 26, Kevin Quiambao, 23, Carl Tamayo, 24, Calvin Oftana, 29, Jamie Malonzo, 28, and Mason Amos, 20. Gilas’ young breed will carry on the task of making the Olympic dream come true in the years ahead.