Despite a tough FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers window, Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone affirmed that the national team will stick with its current player pool.
The squad faced setbacks, falling to Chinese Taipei and New Zealand and dropping two of its three games in the Doha International Cup against Lebanon and Egypt. However, Cone emphasized that changes to the lineup are not as simple as adding or removing players due to logistical and financial factors.
“We came in with a program, and we’re going to stick to that program as much as we can,” Cone said.
The current pool includes Japeth Aguilar, Justin Brownlee, AJ Edu, June Mar Fajardo, Jamie Malonzo, Chris Newsome, Calvin Oftana, CJ Perez, Kevin Quiambao, Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo, and Scottie Thompson. Troy Rosario was recently added in place of the injured Kai Sotto, while Mason Amos from De La Salle University is also part of the roster.
While acknowledging the team’s struggles, Cone remains optimistic, stating, “You don’t learn from success, you learn from failure. We can be better than what we were, that’s for darn sure.”
Gilas Pilipinas has already secured a FIBA Asia Cup berth, set to take place in Saudi Arabia this August.