A young and determined Gilas Pilipinas Men team is set to compete in the approaching third window of the FIBA World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers. 

The latest version of the national squad boasts of budding talent and potential as they continue to gain international experience. Bannered by Kiefer Ravena and Dwight Ramos, the Philippines will also have RJ Abarrientos, SJ Belangel, Geo Chiu, Dave Ildefonso, Francis Lopez, William Navarro, Carl Tamayo, plus newcomers Rhenz Abando and Kevin Quiambao. 

The apparent lack of size and height is not lost on head coach Nenad Vučinić but he remains steadfast in what his team can do against New Zealand and India. 

“It’s very hard to replace size but we’re very pleased with how our bigs performed guys like Geo Chiu, Kevin Quiambao, and Carl Tamayo,” said Vučinić as he and his team just finished two exhibition matches against Korea. “There are only really three players that are playing a position four and five but also guys like Will Navarro – he played out of position and he’s done well.”

Gilas will only field 11 players as Ange Kouame is out with a partially torn ACL and sprained meniscus. Fortunately, Ildefonso will be able to suit up after sitting out the games versus Korea. 

“I think we will go with what we have,” said Vučinić, who mentioned that they are in no position to get a new player with a New Zealand visa, and getting a PBA player is not an option with the ongoing latest conference. “It’s gonna be a very difficult task obviously going to New Zealand with a limited number of big players but we intend to play hard and hopefully play well.”

Vučinić is hoping that the team’s experience facing Korea could be a source of learning and motivation as they go up against tougher competition. 

“It’s easy to look for excuses but we really have to find a way. I think we did find a way,” the coach said about the two friendlies that Gilas narrowly lost. “Defensively, we did struggle. Korea is a very good team in terms of offensive execution [and] shooting ability, but also they have size. They’ve got Ratcliffe (Ra Gun-ah) and Kim (Jong-kyu) who are genuine international big guys but we held our own I think.”

Since returning from Korea, Gilas Men have made the time to learn and correct their mistakes which they can hopefully translate ahead of the third widow.  

Leading the team is team captain Ravena, who already has a ton of international play under his belt,  and Vučinić hopes that leadership will also be done by committee. 

“There are also other players that step up in the leadership department, guys like SJ (Belangel). Also, there are guys that are maybe not vocal but they lead by example, by commitment, [and] by trying to execute. So you got to have one leader, one that is responsible for what’s happening to the team, and for this month, it’s Kiefer.”

The coach knows that he has a young group to face Asia’s best and he remains confident about what they can bring to the table. 

“With younger players, you need to be more than just a trainer to them. You need to be hard on them,” he said, explaining that if they can’t handle the pressure from their coach, they won’t be able to handle the pressure from the actual competition. “So you have to be hard on them, and at the same time, you need to give them support.”

There are indeed pros and cons with fielding a young team, including not having bad habits despite the lack of experience, but it will essentially boil down to the right mix of players. 

“So coaching a national team, it’s not whether you’re going to take the young guys or the old guys – you have to take the best guys that will form the best team,” he went on. “And that doesn’t necessarily mean the best 12 players, but the 12 guys that will create the best team.”

Gilas will take on New Zealand on June 30 at 3:30 PM and India on July 3 at 7:00 PM. Both games will be live on One Sports, One Sports+, TV5, Smart GigaPlay, and CignalPlay. 

The Philippines finished with a record of 1-1 after a win over India and a loss to New Zealand after the February window. New Zealand leads Group A with a 3-0 slate, while India remains winless after three games.