The Philippine men’s basketball team warms up for its campaign in the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers as it undergoes a weeklong training camp in Brisbane, Australia.
Gilas Pilipinas departed last 23 June for Down Under, with coach Tim Cone leading his 12-man roster.
"We’ll be there (Brisbane) for four days before we proceed to New Zealand," said Cone on the eve of the team’s departure that saw it hold an open workout before Gilas fans at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Gilas will play two friendlies on 28 and 29 June, one of them against NBL team Brisbane Bullets, who are helping the Filipinos prepare for their road games against the Tall Blacks and Boomers.
"Brisbane Bullets are helping us out in terms of lending their facilities to us. So we’re going to take full advantage of it and try to acclimate to the (cold) weather," said Cone.
With the exception of Kevin Quiambao, who didn’t join the team in the workout due to a personal matter, the rest of the 11 players showed up including new members Mike Philips, Justin Baltazar, Troy Rosario, and Juan Gomez De Liano, who took the spot of the injured Scottie Thompson.
Completing the lineup were Justin Brownlee, RJ Abarrientos, Chris Newsome, June Mar Fajardo, AJ Edu, Carl Tamayo, and Dwight Ramos.
Carrying an event 2-2 record in Group A and already assured of a berth in the second round of the qualifiers, Gilas takes on New Zealand on 3 July, then flies to Australia for its 6 July game against the Boomers.
Australia currently leads the group with a perfect 4-0 record, New Zealand is tied with the Philippines at 2-2, while Guam is at the rear with a 0-4 slate.
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