Gilas not in ‘best team’ form yet even with win vs New Zealand
Gilas Pilipinas center Kai Sotto soars for a dunk during a Fiba Asia Cup 2025 game vs New Zealand. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Gilas Pilipinas remained undefeated after three games in the 2025 Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers but that doesn’t mean that the team is already at its peak, according to coach Tim Cone.
After a stunning victory over world No. 22 New Zealand, Cone said that Gilas still has some ways to go in terms of improvement, especially with the squad’s constantly incomplete lineup.
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However, Cone more than happy in seeing Gilas win despite missing some guys due to injuries.
“That’s what we’re here for; try to win these kinds of games. The OQT (Olympic Qualifying Tournament) was fantastic and I thought we would have done better if…” said Cone with a pause, followed by a friendly tap to Kai Sotto, who was beside him during the post-game presser.
Article continues after this advertisement“This guy (Sotto) hadn’t got hurt.”
Gilas Pilipinas celebrates win vs New Zealand in the Fiba Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIREr.net
Gilas certainly felt Sotto’s presence on Thursday at Mall of Asia Arena, which they missed during the OQT.
Sotto dropped an all-around stat-line of 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in 32 minutes of action.
Scottie Thompson, who was also absent in the OQT in RIga, Latvia, also made a statement in his return with 12 points, six assists and four rebounds.
READ: Tim Cone gets chance to give Gilas standouts important break
However, just because Sotto and Thompson returned doesn’t mean that Gilas is already in full force with AJ Edu and Jamie Malonzo, who were both also absent in the OQT, still out.
“We played Brazil, the No.12 team in the World, without Kai, Scottie, AJ (Edu) and Jamie (Malonzo),” Cone said.
“We haven’t seen our best team yet. Yet, we’ve been able to beat the World’s sixth and the 22nd so we’re still trying to see exactly where we can go and how far we can go.”
Even without its best team yet, Gilas looks to remain undefeated in the Asia Cup Qualifiers when it face Hong Kong on Sunday at the same venue.
