FIBA ACQ: Gilas leaves for HK
GILAS Pilipinas is slated to leave on Tuesday morning, February 20, as the national squad now under coach Tim Cone flies to Hong Kong ahead of the team’s opening game of the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers 2025.
The national squad, bannered by naturalized player Justin Brownlee will take the 10 a.m. flight on Tuesday and will have one extra day to practice, before seeing action on Thursday, February 22, against the host nation at the Tsuen Wan Sports Centre.
The Philippine team won’t have many-time Gilas mainstay June Mar Fajardo, who has been ruled out of the first window due to a partial tear on his left calf, an injury he sustained during Game 4 of the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
The 6-foot-10 star center managed to play through the pain in Game 5 and 6 as the Beermen went on to beat the Magnolia Hotshots 4-2 in the title series to capture their 29th league crown.
Also out for the first window is young Filipino Cypriot slotman AJ Edu, who sustained a torn meniscus last December while playing for the Toyama Grouses in the Japan B.League.
Taking Edu’s spot is Barangay Ginebra’s veteran big man Japeth Aguilar, who’ll be back for another tour of duty with the national squad.
Cone has yet to name who will take the spot of Fajardo as of press time.
The Gilas squad though remains a tough nut to crack, being a mixture of veterans and young players.
Outside Brownlee, the hero of Gilas’ gold medal campaign in the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, the national squad also has Scottie Thompson and Jamie Malonzo of Ginebra, Meralco wingman Chris Newsome, TNT’s Calvin Oftana, San Miguel Beer’s athletic forward CJ Perez, along with Japan B.League Asian imports Dwight Ramos, Carl Tamayo and Kai Sotto, along with UAAP star Kevin Quiambao.
Perez is coming off a sensational conference in the PBA that saw him win the Best Player of the Conference, along with the Finals Most Valuable Player award, and a second league championship in his pro career.
After the Hong Kong match, the Philippines flies back to Manila to host Taiwan at the PhilSports Arena on Sunday, February 25.
Meanwhile, veteran Barangay
Ginebra guard LA Tenorio is back in a familiar role at Gilas where he took part in the national team’s four-day closed-door training camp at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna.
Tenorio, a decorated member of the national team since his youthful days, the 39-year-old Ginebra sentinel has been tapped by Cone to help fasttrack the learning process of the members of the national squad before plunging to action.
Joining Tenorio were Ginebra rookies Ralph Cu and Donald Gumaru.
“The last time I was here I was part of the coaching staff, but that was a different role though this I still have same agenda because the important thing here is I could help coach Tim with the system he’s trying to implement,” Tenorio said in a recent interview with One Sports.