Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone is now considering the potential of setting up friendly matches in Manila or the Middle East in advance of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.  With a limited amount of time, the choice needs to be made quickly in order to optimize their preparation and tactics before the competition.

 The Asia Cup begins on August 5 while the PBA ends on July 27.  Cone clarified the urgency of their preparations by saying, “If we are able to get together for practice on July 28, we will only have eight days to get ready, not including travel.”

Cone understands the value of friendly matches and practice sessions, particularly as the squad prepares for the obstacles in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  “Whenever possible, whether within the Middle East or abroad, we would like to play a friendly match, but we also need to set aside time for practice.  We have friendlies in the works, and we’ll see how things work out,” he said.

in Group D of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025, Gilas Pilipinas is in a difficult pool with basketball heavyweights like Taiwan, Iraq, and New Zealand.  They have a mixed record against these teams, having played both Taiwan and New Zealand in the qualifiers.

The Filipino team defeated the Tall Blacks by a slim margin of 92-88 at the Mall of Asia Arena in an outstanding performance last November.  But in their most recent meeting, which took place in Auckland in February, they suffered a heartbreaking 87-70 loss to New Zealand.  Additionally, their great performance from the previous year, when they defeated the East Asia basketball team with a crushing 106-53 score in Manila, was in sharp contrast to their unexpected 93-84 loss to Taiwan.

In order to guarantee a spot in the quarterfinals, they must compete to finish first in their group over the pivotal weeks that lie ahead.  Regretfully, rising sensation Kai Sotto will not be able to play for the squad since he is still recovering from knee surgery for an ACL injury that happened in late January.