FIBA Asia Cup important to Gilas Men’s long-term development
Published on July 16, 2022

Gilas Pilipinas Men are 1-1 in their ongoing FIBA Asia Cup 2022 campaign in Indonesia. They lost their opening game against Lebanon but bounced back in a big way versus India. 

Up next for the Philippines is a battle against heavyweight New Zealand on Sunday. 

The national team is aiming to improve on their seventh-place finish back in 2017 and hopefully claim gold at the regional meet for the first time in 37 years. 

More than the FIBA Asia Cup, however, Gilas is on a bigger mission.

All roads lead to the FIBA World Cup 2023 which the Philippines will host alongside Japan and Indonesia. The final stage of the tournament will be held in Gilas’ backyard thus a strong showing will be imperative with the basketball world watching. 

It’s no wonder that every tournament, including the ongoing FIBA Asia Cup, is a way to prepare the team for next year’s competitions. 

“The important part of this campaign is to see their development and to expose them to top-level competition because that’s the only way they’re going to learn,” Gilas Men coach and program director Chot Reyes said. “This is the first step toward a long journey in their development.”

The latest iteration of Gilas competing in Indonesia has an average of just 24 years old. Four players are still playing in college plus a 19-year-old in Francis Lopez. Even mainstays Kiefer and Thirdy Ravena, as well as Ray Parks, are still in their late 20s despite being in numerous international competitions before.

Youth remains a key strength for Gilas. The challenge, however, lies in gaining consistency and unity within the team. 

“You’re seeing the development of the younger guys but having players coming in and out like now we have three new guys, it’s always going to be a matter of assimilation and integration,” Reyes said as injuries and availability of players have recently plagued the team. 

For the FIBA Asia Cup, Ange Kouame and Dave Ildefonso had to sit out because of nagging injuries. The team welcomed back the younger Ravena, Parks, and veteran big man Poy Erram for this tournament.

“We just have to be patient with each other and we have to make sure that people understand what their roles are and what is needed from them,” added Reyes. 

The coach also stressed that a young team will learn and get better during the long road ahead.

“Most importantly, we have to keep their spirits up,” Reyes said, mentioning that even though a player doesn’t contribute well in a particular game, he shouldn’t be discouraged. “Those little things that come across [are] part of the regular development of any player. In the end, we just need to keep at it. Just keep at it. Keep our eyes on the big picture.”