Tim Cone at the Fiba World Cup. -MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
The Asian Games-bound men’s and women’s national basketball teams will be opening their training session to the public on Thursday.
The joint practice at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City starts at 4 p.m. Interim Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone on Twitter announced that the teams were opening their doors.
“No tickets are necessary,” said Cone. “We just want the public to come and observe.”
Cone said the Gilas men’s and women’s teams, the latter coached by Pat Aquino, “will share the court and have interactions between them.”
Gilas Men's Team will have a joint practice with Gilas Women's Team at Philsports on Thursday, Sept 14. We will share the court and have interactions between both teams. The public is free to come and observe. The gates will open at 4 pm. NO tickets necessary!
— Tim Cone (@manilacone) September 12, 2023
The 19th Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, China starting September 23, with the basketball competitions scheduled from September 26 to October 6 in two venues: the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium and Zhejiang University Zijingang Gymnasium.
Immediately after the Fiba World Cup ended on Sunday, the Gilas Pilipinas team under Cone dove right into training for the Asian Games set for next month.
The team will move to Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna on Saturday, before wrapping up its preparation with a tuneup game against the Changwon LG Sakers of South Korea on September 22.
The team leaves for Hangzhou on September 23.
The Gilas Women, meanwhile, are coming off a remarkable performance in the Fiba Women’s Asia Cup in Sydney, Australia.