Gilas Pilipinas Kicks Off Crucial Preparations for FIBA Qualifiers
The Gilas Pilipinas national basketball team has officially commenced its training camp for the upcoming Window 1 of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. The first practice session was held on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at the Ateneo de Manila University campus.
Head coach Tim Cone led the initial workout with a squad of 12 players. While acknowledging the room for improvement in their training conditions, Cone expressed a positive outlook, stating, "We're doing alright. It could be better conditions with everybody, but we'll do with the best of what we have and I thought we did the best with what we could."
Who Attended the First Practice Session?
The players who participated in this crucial first practice include a strong core of experienced talent. The roster featured naturalized player Justin Brownlee and several key PBA stars.
The complete list of attendees was:
- June Mar Fajardo
- Scottie Thompson
- Japeth Aguilar
- CJ Perez
- Chris Newsome
- Troy Rosario
- RJ Abarrientos
- Dwight Ramos (B.League)
- Jamie Malonzo
The session also marked the inclusion of two new faces in the training pool: Juan Gomez de Liano and Quentin Millora-Brown.
Key Players Still Awaiting Arrival and Injury Concerns
The team's preparation is not yet at full strength, as they are still waiting for the arrival of several overseas-based players. The squad is particularly anticipating the contributions of AJ Edu, Kevin Quiambao, and Carl Tamayo.
Furthermore, the training pool includes other notable talents such as naturalized player Ange Kouame, who is currently playing for Meralco Bolts in the East Asia Super League, and towering center Kai Sotto.
However, Sotto's availability for the first qualifying window remains a significant question mark. The young star is still in the process of recovering from a serious ACL tear, making his participation uncertain at this stage.
As the days count down, the team aims to build chemistry and refine their strategies, hoping to integrate their missing pieces swiftly for a successful start to their qualifying campaign.
