Despite the challenges ahead, there is a positive atmosphere at the Gilas Pilipinas camp in Riga, Latvia. Coach Tim Cone believes the team is ready to compete for a spot in the Paris Olympics.
“It’s been a whirlwind trip so far and it’s hard to gauge exactly where we are and what we need to do in the limited time we have,” Cone said in an interview. “But we are feeling positive. We have shown that we can compete with these European teams in our friendlies.”
Gilas 11 recently played friendlies against Turkey and Poland, losing both games but gaining valuable experience in European basketball. They are now gearing up for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) where they will face Latvia and Georgia.
The team will have extra time to prepare as they take a bye in the opening slate of the qualifiers. They will face Latvia first, followed by a match against Georgia the next day.
Despite Latvia missing key player Kristaps Porzingis, Gilas is prepared to face a strong team led by Davis Bertans and other talented players. Coach Cone is counting on players like Justin Brownlee, June Mar Fajardo, Kai Sotto, and Dwight Ramos to step up.
The team is expecting tough competition in front of a home crowd in Latvia but believes they have what it takes to match up well. They are focused on utilizing their strengths and executing their game plan.
After facing Latvia, Gilas will have a quick turnaround to play against Georgia. The team is determined to continue fighting in the tournament and work towards achieving their Olympic dreams in the crossover semis and finale.
