Cone wants ‘intact’ squad

As much as possible, Tim Cone wants to parade an “intact” Gilas Pilipinas squad in major international competitions.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Erika Dy said Cone, the newly-appointed Gilas coach, is putting a lot of premium on chemistry so he doesn’t want to tweak his lineup, especially for the 2024 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers that will start on 22 February.

Shortly after bagging the coveted spot as full-time national team head coach, Cone buckled down to work and named the 12-man squad that will be deployed in major international events. Philippine Basketball Association players Scottie Thompson, Chris Newsome, Calvin Oftana, CJ Perez, Jamie Malonzo and June Mar Fajardo bannered the squad together with Japan-based stars Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu, Kai Sotto and Carl Tamayo as well as De La Salle University star Kevin Quiambao.

Justin Brownlee was also added as naturalized player pending the verdict of the International Basketball Federation about his possible suspension.

The team will start training on 15 February, a week before facing Hong Kong in the opening match of the 2024 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.

Dy said Cone wants the team to stay together for the long haul.

“We had this discussion with Coach Tim several times and he doesn’t really believe that we should prepare for injuries,” Dy said.

“It makes sense. We should always believe that our 12-man team will be intact and healthy. That’s what we have to look forward to.”

Dy admitted that Edu is still injured. He, however, is still expected to fly to the country to join the team as Cone has yet to decide if he will come up with a replacement.

“Like for example, AJ Edu is injured right now and won’t be able to play this window but he is still part of the 12-man pool,” Dy added.

“Coach Tim has to make a decision whether we are just going with 11 players or he fills in with a replacement player for this window.”