Tag: OQT

Bahamas tops Finland in OQT opener, Slovenia falls to Croatia

On: By: admin


Bahamas’ guard #07 Buddy Hield drives the ball against Finland’s guard #34 Jacob Grandison during the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament basketball match between Finland and Bahamas in Valencia, on July 2, 2024. (Photo by JOSE JORDAN / AFP)

Buddy Hield and the Bahamas are a step closer to the Paris Olympics. Luka Doncic and Slovenia are now facing an uphill battle to get there.

Hield scored 24 points, Valdez Edgecombe Jr. added 20 and the Bahamas beat Finland 96-85 on Tuesday in the first game of the Olympic qualifying tournament at Valencia, Spain.

“We grinded it out. Grinded out a win today,” Hield said. “Staying together, figuring it out. Game of basketball is a game of runs. First half, we didn’t quite figure it out.”

SCHEDULE: Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba OQT in Riga, Latvia

The tournaments in Spain and Greece were two of four that started on Tuesday to determine the last four spots in the men’s basketball field for the Paris Olympics. Other tournaments are being held in Latvia and Puerto Rico, both of them also starting on Tuesday. Group play at all four sites continues through Thursday, with semifinal games Saturday and four games with Olympic berths on the line set for Sunday.

The Bahamas closed the game on a 44-21 run over the final 17 minutes, erasing what was a 12-point second-half deficit.

But for Slovenia, there was no comeback. At Piraeus, Greece, Croatia led by as many as 29 points and rolled to a 108-92 win. Doncic had 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for Slovenia, while Croatia had a its own triple-double — 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists — from Dario Saric, along with 21 points from Goran Filipovic and 18 points in 19 minutes from Ivica Zubac.

Luka Doncic Slovenia vs Croatia Fiba OQT

Slovenia’s Luka Doncic reacts during the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament basketball match at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Athens on July 2, 2024. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP)

Croatia can qualify for the semifinals on Wednesday with a win over New Zealand. Slovenia must beat New Zealand on Thursday to have any chance of keeping its Olympic hopes alive.

“Croatia played great,” Doncic said. “They outplayed us. … I’ve got to play way better than this and we’ve got to play with way better energy.”

Doncic was dealing with injuries during the NBA Finals when Dallas lost to Boston, and he was clearly laboring at times on Tuesday as well. But he insisted he would keep going.

“It’s an honor for me to play for my country,” Doncic said. “A lot of times, there’s going to be injuries. But I just see a big honor for me to play for my country. We’re 2 million people and to represent my country, it means everything to me.”

READ: Doncic, Antetokounmpo shoot for last shot at Paris Olympics

Deandre Ayton scored 19 and Eric Gordon added 16 for the Bahamas, who can advance to the qualifier’s knockout round by beating Poland on Wednesday. It is an interesting mix for the Bahamas; three starters are NBA players, but the starting point guard is Lourawls Nairn — a former Michigan State player and now the associate head coach at Bowling Green.

“He’s a coaches’ dream and I think the players love playing with him,” Bahamas coach Chris DeMarco said. “He definitely belongs and he could be doing this for a living, but he pursued a different career.”

Mikael Jantunen and Edon Maxhuni each scored 20 for Finland, which faces Poland on Thursday.

Spain 104, Lebanon 59
At Valencia, host Spain rolled behind 17 points from Santi Aldama, 15 from Usman Garuba and 14 from Jaime Pradilla. Spain can wrap up a spot in the semifinals with a win over Angola on Wednesday.

Youssef Khayat scored 20 for Lebanon, which faces Angola on Thursday.

Brazil 81, Montenegro 72

At Riga, Latvia, Brazil trailed for most of the game but outscored Montenegro 29-16 in the fourth quarter to pull off the comeback.

Bruno Caboclo had 25 points and nine rebounds for Brazil, while Marcelinho Huertas added 17 points.

Nikola Vucevic led Montenegro with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Montenegro must beat Cameroon on Wednesday to keep hopes of reaching the semifinals alive. Brazil faces Cameroon on Thursday.

Latvia 83, Georgia 55

At Riga, host Latvia outscored Georgia 28-11 in the second quarter to take complete control and rolled to the opening win.

Arturs Strautins scored 18 points on 5-for-5 shooting to lead a balanced Latvian scoring attack, while Mareks Mejeris scored 11 (also shooting 5-for-5) and Rolands Smits finished with 10.

Sandro Mamukelashvili led Georgia with 14 points.

Latvia can clinch a semifinal spot by beating the Philippines on Wednesday. Georgia and the Philippines play on Thursday to close the group round.

Dominican Republic 90, Egypt 77

At Piraeus, Jean Montero scored 17 points, and the Dominican Republic used a 14-0 run spanning the end of the second quarter and start of the third quarter to pull away.

Chris Duarte scored 14 points, Victor Liz had 12 and Angel Nunez finished with 11 for the Dominican Republic.

Ahmed Metwaly led Egypt with 24 points.

The Dominican Republic can clinch a semifinal spot if it beats Greece on Wednesday. Egypt plays Greece on Thursday and must win to have any hope of advancing to the semifinals.

Italy 114, Bahrain 53

At San Juan, Puerto Rico, Danilo Gallinari and Nicolo Melli each scored 14 points and Italy finished with seven players in double figures.

Ahmed Haji scored 12 points to lead Bahrain, which gave up the game’s final 19 points.

Bahrain must beat Puerto Rico on Wednesday to have any shot at the semifinals. Italy plays Puerto Rico on Thursday.

Lithuania 96, Mexico 84

At San Juan, Lithuania opened the second half on a 27-7 run that carried it to an opening win.

Marius Grigonis led the way with 21 points for Lithuania, while Tadas Sedekerskis added 12. Domantas Sabonis finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Joshua Ibarra scored 18 for Mexico.



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.


Your subscription has been successful.

Lithuania would reach Saturday’s semifinals with a win over Ivory Coast on Wednesday. Mexico plays Ivory Coast on Thursday, likely to decide another semifinal berth.

Gilas loses narrowly to world No. 15 Poland, showing that—despite some glitches—it is now armed well enough for OQT battle

On: By: admin


San Antonio mainstay in the NBA Jeremy Sochan (left) tries to dribble past Justin Brownlee in late second half action. —PHOTO COURTESY OF POLAND BASKETBALL FEDERATION

Gilas Pilipinas spent little time ruing another narrow loss in its preparations geared toward the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Latvia.

“Now the real fight begins,” national coach Tim Cone wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday noon (Manila time), swiftly putting behind an 82-80 loss at the hands of World No. 15 Poland which is also preparing its own OQT that will be held in Valencia, Spain.

The Nationals looked poised for a good outing at Sosnowiec Arena on early Sunday, thanks to a balanced attack led by Justin Brownlee, Dwight Ramos, June Mar Fajardo and Kai Sotto.

But miscues in the second period allowed the Poles to mount a fightback. The hosts held on and kept their poise in the final period, dousing Gilas’ spirited tries at a comeback and ultimately denying the Filipinos a chance at pocketing a morale-boosting win right before it plunges into the OQT in Riga.

Brownlee had 30 points to lead Gilas anew. He also starred in the loss to Turkey two nights ago. Ramos, meanwhile, added 16.

The Philippines actually enjoyed a nine-point edge in the first half before falling prey to disjointed play in the third period that had Cone fuming in one of the time-outs.

Cone being livid

“We’re not even trying anymore,” the seasoned mentor, livid, could be heard saying during the broadcast. “This isn’t about ‘Hey, yeah! Let’s go! Let’s go!’ That’s bulls**t. It’s about fu***ng doing your job, fellas!”

“We look like an Asian team right now. We look like a team who are playing Asia—and not European,” he added. “[I]f we’re gonna fu***ng play like sh**, we have no fu***ng chance. Get your head out your a** and let’s start playing!”

Gilas smoothened the gaps after that tongue-lashing, with Brownlee and Ramos joining hands in turning a 13-point hole to just a five-point deficit, 82-77, with 1:43 remaining.

The Nationals, however, couldn’t make the most out of the time left to complete a turnaround against the Jeremy Sochan-led Poles as Chris Newsome’s freebie and CJ Perez’ layup both came a little too late.

The Philippines thus settled for a 1-2 win-loss record in its preparatory games, the lone victory at the expense of club team Taiwan Mustangs. Capable

The Inquirer reached out to Cone just before the Philippine contingent left for Riga on Sunday, but the decorated mentor has yet to respond as of press time.

While moral victories don’t count for Cone and the rest of the Gilas brain trust, the gallant stand against Poland can still give the Nationals a good indication of their capabilities ahead of the tall task in Riga where World No. 6 Latvia and No. 23-ranked Georgia await.

The Philippines lost to Poland by just two points. And that should be an achievement in itself considering how the Poles handily beat New Zealand in an earlier friendly, where they won by 29 points.

While pulling off a stunner in Riga may be difficult, Cone has repeatedly said that it won’t be impossible.



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.


Your subscription has been successful.

“I keep saying, it’s not impossible. It’s tough, sure. It’s always tough for us, but I feel we haven’t brought a team like this in OQT before,” he said. INQ

Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba OQT in Riga, Latvia

On: By: admin


Gilas Pilipinas begins its Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) campaign. –SBP PHOTO

Gilas Pilipinas takes its final shot to make it to the Paris Olympics slated for next month as it competes in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Riga.

There will be four OQTs played from July 2 to 8 across the nations of Latvia, where Gilas Pilipinas is competing, Puerto Rico, Greece and Spain.

Gilas is bracketed with Georgia and host Latvia in Group A while Brazil, Cameroon, and Montenegro make up Group B.

READ: Paris 2024 or LA 2028, Tim Cone wants Olympic stint for Gilas

The Philippines qualified for the Olympic qualifiers despite just racking up a sole win in the Fiba World Cup the country hosted last year. The outright Olympic berth from Asia went to Japan as the highest-ranked team from the continent.

Gilas Pilipinas group stage schedule at Fiba OQT (Philippine time)

Gilas Pilipinas first clashes with host Latvia, ranked sixth in the world missing its NBA star Kristaps Porzingis, and then Georgia, which has NBA players  Sandro Mamukelashvili and Goga Bitadze.

Another schedule will be based on the results of the group phase.

Gilas Pilipinas group stage schedule at Fiba OQT (Philippine time)

Gilas Pilipinas group stage schedule at Fiba OQT (Philippine time).

July 4, Thursday

  • 12am – Latvia vs Philippines
  • 8:30pm – Philippines vs Georgia

Full Fiba OQT Riga, Latvia group stage schedule

Full Fiba OQT Riga, Latvia group stage schedule

July 2, Tuesday

  • 8:30pm – Brazil vs Montenegro

July 3, Wednesday

  • 12am – Georgia vs Latvia
  • 8:30pm – Montenegro vs Cameroon

July 4, Thursday

  • 12am – Latvia vs Philippines
  • 8:30pm – Philippines vs Georgia

July 5, Friday

  • 12am – Cameroon vs Brazil

July 6, Saturday

July 8, Monday

Gilas Pilipinas Final roster for the Fiba OQT

Gilas Pilipinas is down to 11 men when it competes in the Olympic qualifiers with coach Tim Cone’s trusty longtime point guard Scottie Thompson and young big man AJ Edu out due to injuries.

  • Mason Amos
  • Chris Newsome
  • Calvin Oftana
  • CJ Perez
  • Dwight Ramos
  • Justin Brownlee
  • Carl Tamayo
  • Kai Sotto
  • June Mar Fajardo
  • Japeth Aguilar
  • Kevin Quiambao

Fiba OQT format

The format of the OQTs makes every game a must-win for Gilas Pilipinas with only the champion in each qualifier advancing to the Paris Olympics men’s basketball competition from July 27 to August 10.



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.


Your subscription has been successful.

There are six teams in each OQT. They will face each other in a single-round robin format with the top two of per group advancing to the knockout Final Phase.

In the semifinals, the first place for each group battles the second place from the other group with a berth in the Finals at stake.

The winners of each OQT will join the eight teams who have qualified for the Paris Olympics, namely host France, United States, Canada, Australia, South Sudan, Japan Serbia, and Germany.

Gilas Pilipinas fightback falls short vs Poland ahead of OQT

On: By: admin


Gilas Pilipinas’ Justin Brownlee defends Poland’s Jeremy Sochan during a tune-up game. Photo from Wojciech Figurski / Polish Basketball Federation

Gilas Pilipinas’ comeback machine faded anew on Sunday morning (Manila time) in its third and final friendly geared toward the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

The Nationals fell to world No. 15 Poland, 82-80, at Sosnowiec Arena, unable to pocket a win in Europe right before plunging into the all-important OQT in Riga, Latvia, that will send one team into the Paris Summer Olympic Games late next month.

Justin Brownlee was the tip of the Gilas spear once again, finishing with 30 points. Dwight Ramos chipped in 16 points and nine rebounds after turning in just four in the loss against EuroBasket-bound Turkey two nights ago.

READ: Moral wins don’t count for Gilas Pilipinas in OQT buildup

Looking dead in the water with about three minutes left in the final period, the Filipinos went on a cutthroat run behind Ramos to pull within five, 82-77.

Gilas had 1:43 left to make something. But a Chris Newsome freebie and a late CJ Perez basket were the only plays the Nationals could pull off in that stretch.

June Mar Fajardo added 10 points, while Kai Sotto 8 and 11 boards in the stand that had the Philippines going 1-2 (win-loss) in its preparatory games for the OQT.

The Philippines looked sharp and poised for a commendable outing right off the jump thanks to a balanced attack from Brownlee, Ramos, Fajardo, and Kai Sotto, even putting together a nine-point edge in the opening frame.

But second-period miscues that cost Gilas several good looks and sent the Jeremy Sochan-led Poles to the charity stripe one too many times proved to be the swing the hosts needed to create a gulf that the Nationals would fall short of closing.

READ: Gilas Pilipinas loses to Turkey in tune-up ahead of OQT

Michał Sokołowski and Aleksander Balcerowski led the way for the White and Red with 21 and 10 points, respectively. Sochan, who is plying his trade in the NBA for the San Antonio Spurs, added eight points.

The Poles are also priming for the other OQT that will be held in Valencia, Spain. There, they will be battling against Finland and the Bahamas for a chance to take on the winners from the other bracket featuring Lebanon, Angola, and traditional powerhouse Spain.

Gilas’ lone win in its three-game series of friendlies came against the visiting Taiwan Mustangs last Sunday.

The 11-man Philippine squad will play Latvia and then Georgia in Group A of the Riga OQT that gets going at midnight of July 2 (Manila time).

Both Latvia and Georgia have wrapped up their test games as well. The World No. 6 OQT hosts wound up with a 1-1 card winning against Egypt and then losing to Finland. The Georgians, meanwhile, stumbled against Italy and Cameroon before finally prevailing against Egypt.

The Scores:

Poland: Sokołowski 21, Balcerowski 10, Pluta 8, Sochan 8, Ponitka 7, Zyskowski 6, Milicici 5, Dziewa 5, Michalak 5, Nizioł 5, Mazurczak 2, Żołnierewicz 0.

The Philippines: Brownlee 30, Ramos 16, Fajardo 10, Sotto 8, Newsome 6, Aguliar 4, Tamayo 4, Perez 2, Oftana 0, Quiambao 0.



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.


Your subscription has been successful.

Quarterscores 16-23, 41-38, 58-56, 82-80.

Gilas Pilipinas loses to Turkey in tune-up ahead of Fiba OQT

On: By: admin


Gilas Pilipinas’ June Mar Fajardo and Justin Brownlee flank as Turkey player during a tune-up game in Istanbul ahead of the Fiba OQT. –TURKEY BASKETBALL FEDERATION

Gilas Pilipinas sputtered when it mattered most on Friday, bowing to Turkey, 84-73, in the second tune-up game geared towards the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OTQ).

The Nationals, led by Justin Brownlee valiantly fought for most of the contest at Besiktas Akatlar Culture and Sports Complex in Istanbul but had to settle with the loss with young cornerstone Kai Sotto saddled with fouls and shooting abandoning Gilas just as it was trying to mount a comeback.

Brownlee, Gilas’ naturalized ace, delivered 21 points and five rebounds while June Mar Fajardo added 17 and 11 for the Tim Cone-mentored squad priming for the OQT in Riga, Latvia next week.

READ: Gilas Pilipinas flies to Turkiye hoping to show readiness for OQT

“It was a tough loss against Turkey. We had our first taste of the type of opposition we will be facing in the OQT,” Gilas assistant coach and team manager Richard del Rosario said in a bulletin posted by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas a few hours after the contest held early morning in Manila.

The Philippines pulled within two, 42-40, heading into the intermission. Gilas again trimmed the Turkish lead to five, 78-73, on a Brownlee slam with 1:44 remaining, just before Gilas’ offense conked out.

The Filipinos hit only five threes as the Turks converted 14 of their 41 attempts from downtown.

Sotto had seven points before fouling out with 2:35 left in the clash that had Gilas going 1-1 in its preparations for the Riga meet. Cone and his charges defeated the Taiwan Mustangs at PhilSports Arena last Sunday.

READ: Gilas Pilipinas beats Taiwan Mustangs in tune-up before OQT

Host Latvia, Gilas’ first assignment in OQT, crushed Egypt, 84-63, in a friendly late Thursday. Georgia, another Group A opponent, stumbled against Cameroon, 67-66.

Multi-time local league champion Tarik Biberovic led the way for Turkey with 23 points built on a 5-for-9 shooting from deep. Can Kormaz chipped in 12 more for the Turks who are also in their own buildup.

The Dev Adam, who are ranked 24th in the global leaderboard, are preparing for the EuroLeague and are playing a series of friendlies which includes Olympics host France.

Gilas will be wrapping up its buildup against the World No. 15 Poland on Saturday (early Sunday morning in Manila) before plunging into one of the four OQTs, which will complete the Summer Olympic Games field.

Gilas Pilipinas scores:

Turkey (84) — Biberovic 23, Korkmaz 12, Sanli 9, Sipahi 9, Osmani 8, Ozdemiroglu 7, Haltali 6, Kabaca 3, Yilmaz 3, Bas 2, Yasar 2, Ilyasoglu 0.

Philippines (73) — Brownlee 21, Fajardo 17, Sotto 7, Tamayo 7, Newsome 5, Ramos 4, Aguilar 4, Perez 3, Oftana 3, Quiambao 2, Amos 0.



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.


Your subscription has been successful.

Quarterscores: 24-21; 42-40; 64-56; 84-73.

Latvia’s Porzingis to have surgery, out of OQT and Paris Olympics

On: By: admin


FILE– Kristaps Porzingis #8 of the Boston Celtics will not be available for Latvia for the Paris Olympics. Adam Glanzman/Getty Images/AFP

Boston Celtics star Kristaps Porzingis will miss next month’s Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) and the Paris Olympics–assuming Latvia qualifies–after opting to have surgery on a leg injury, the NBA team announced on Tuesday.

The Latvian power forward suffered a “rare” leg injury in game two of the NBA Finals earlier this month and will go under the knife to repair the problem.

“The injury doesn’t allow for consistent play at the level required for Olympic competition. Surgery will be performed in the coming days, and further updates will be provided when available,” the Celtics said.

READ: Celtics’ Porzingis out of Game 3 of the NBA Finals

Porzingis suffered a 38-day layoff after injuring his right calf in April, before coming off the bench to play in game one of the NBA Finals for the Celtics.

He played in game two but suffered a “torn medial retinaculum allowing dislocation of the posterior tibialis tendon in his left leg”.

That injury ruled him out of games three and four, although he returned from the bench to play 16 minutes in game five as the Celtics wrapped up a 4-1 series victory.

World No. 6 Latvia is hosting the OQT from July 2-7 in Riga and will play Gilas Pilipinas on July 4.



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.


Your subscription has been successful.

Gilas Pilipinas flies to Turkiye hoping to show readiness for OQT

On: By: admin


Dwight Ramos leads Gilas Pilipinas past Taiwan Mustangs in a tune-up game. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

National coach Tim Cone was brutally candid when asked to assess Gilas Pilipinas ahead of the tall task in the Fiba Olympic Qualifiers (OQT).

“I don’t expect us to be ready at this point,” he told reporters late Monday night, shortly after thumping the Taiwan Mustangs, 74-64, in the first of three tuneup matches lined up ahead of the showcase in Riga, Latvia.

“We’re not ready, [and] that’s why we’re still practicing and playing friendlies—so we could get ready. I hope to see improvement. I hope to see us get better on both sides of the ball,” he added.

And so Gilas left for Turkiye on late Tuesday night, hoping to do just that. The Philippines is slated to play higher-ranked Turkish and Polish national teams in what is shaping up as a simulation of the foes that await in the OQT next week.

“Poland’s No. 15 in the world, so they’re gonna give us a good feel (of the competition). And Turkiye’s No. 24—and they’re much better if their NBA guys show up,” Cone said. “It should be a great indication [of our capabilities] by the time we get to Riga.

“We’re just trying to get our game right. We don’t care if we win or we lose,” he added.

“They’re friendlies, so we’re not going to go in-depth in terms of scouting or trying to understand what they’re trying to do. We’re locked [in on] Latvia, we’re locked [in on] Georgia.”

Gilas is slotted with the world No. 6 Latvians and No. 23 Georgians in the Riga meet where one of the last four tickets to the Summer Olympic Games in Paris is at stake.

“[It’s] gonna be a tough task for us,” naturalized ace Justin Brownlee said of the remaining friendlies. “I think it’s great for our preparation for Latvia and Georgia and whoever we may meet in the qualifiers … and it’s gonna be a test—and—kind of measure what we have.”

Grounded by injuries

The pair of tuneup games will indeed be an accounting of sorts for Gilas, which brought only 11 players as AJ Edu, Jamie Malonzo, and Scottie Thompson have been grounded by injuries.

June Mar Fajardo, who missed the previous Gilas tour, has been reactivated for the OQT. Many-time skipper Japeth Aguilar has been reeled back into service, while Ateneo standout Mason Amos comes in as a late addition for the Filipinos.

“The idea is if we need somebody, we’ll go get them. We got Japeth, we got Mason. The thing with Scottie happened so late. [W]e just couldn’t get somebody for him,” Cone said.

“Again, we didn’t really feel we needed anybody for him at this point.

This is just the style that I want to do, and we came into this with eyes wide open and we knew this might happen. But also, if you remember the last window, we only had 10 players. Jamie didn’t play. June Mar didn’t play. AJ didn’t play. we only had Japeth as the sub,” he added.

“Going with 10, 11 guys? Not a problem for us.”

Program fixture Dwight Ramos couldn’t agree more.



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.


Your subscription has been successful.

“You only need five players on the court,” he said. “So 11’s good enough.” INQ

Gilas makes up for absence of injured cogs in tune-up before OQT

On: By: admin


Gilas Pilipinas during a tune-up game against Taiwan Mustangs. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Gilas Pilipinas is down three men for the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament but that doesn’t make them shorthanded, said coach Tim Cone.

Gilas will have to make do minus three key cogs with Scottie Thompson, AJ Edu and Jamie Malonzo all nursing injuries in the Paris qualifiers in Riga, Latvia.

So far, Gilas has shown just that following a 74-64 win over the Taiwan Mustangs in a tune-up game on Monday at Philsports Arena.

READ: Gilas’ Tim Cone says Scottie Thompson presence ‘irreplaceable’

“I don’t feel we’re shorthanded at all, I’m not a guy who plays 11 or 12 guys anyway,” explained Cone.

“You know me, I don’t play that many guys. I’m really an 8-9 man rotation. The reason why you have 12 guys is not necessarily for the game, you have 12 guys for practice. You have extra bodies in practice or in case somebody goes down. I don’t feel shorthanded, at all.”

Without a heady playmaker in Thompson, who has been dealing with a bulging disc, Brownlee made sure Gilas still got the ball moving with 15 assists.

Kai Sotto and Chris Newsome also stepped up in the absence of Malonzo and Edu, who are out with calf and knee injuries, respectively. Sotto and Newsome took care of business in the rebounding department, combining for 17 rebounds.

READ: Rankings don’t faze Justin Brownlee, Gilas in Latvia OQT

Dwight Ramos, meanwhile, led the way with 19 points, highlighted by four triples.

Cone, though, knows the OQT will require a lot more from his wards if Gilas is to defy the odds and claim a spot in the Paris Olympics.

“We got a lot of work to do ahead of us, that’s why we’re playing friendlies. Hopefully we get better and better as we move forward.”



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.


Your subscription has been successful.

Gilas kicks off OQT preparations with much-needed difficulty

On: By: admin


Dwight Ramos leads Gilas Pilipinas past Taiwan Mustangs in a tune-up game. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Gilas Pilipinas scored a decisive win over visiting Taiwan Mustangs on Monday pocketing a big win to kick off a series of friendlies that will help prime the Nationals for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Riga, Latvia.

The Nationals, despite missing several key players, took home a wire-to-wire 74-64 victory fashioned before a rowdy crowd at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City, but coach Tim Cone wasn’t particularly concerned with how the scoreboard read.

“Well you know, we weren’t concerned about winning or losing a basketball game, we wanted to play a certain style. And I think they did a really good job of throwing a lot of jump defense at us—things that we haven’t been prepared for because we’re only been practicing for three days,” he told reporters in the din of celebration at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

READ: Gilas Pilipinas beats Taiwan Mustangs in tune-up before OQT

“But we worked hard on the defensive side. (Sam) Deguara, the big guy, was a load for everybody. Took a lot of space offensively and defensively and caused us some problems, but that’s what exactly we needed,” he added.

“We didn’t want it to be easy. If it was easy, then it’s not gonna help us. This is what’s hard and we were happy it was hard.”

Gilas, despite not having trailed in the contest, actually had to fend off the Mustang’s spirited tries at a comeback. Led by the hulking 7-foot-6 Deguara and nine-time PBA champion Alex Cabagnot, the visitors even trimmed the lead to just two, 34-32.

But Dwight Ramos and Justin Brownlee picked up where they left off, starring yet again for Gilas months removed from their last tour.

Ramos had 19 points built on a 4-of-5 shooting from deep to lead the way for the Nationals. Brownlee, fresh from a stint in Indonesia, chipped in 12 points and 15 rebounds.

“Obviously, I mean, for this day, it wasn’t pretty,” Cone pointed out. “We gotta be better. But that’s why we have these games. We’re not where we want to be yet, but we have to be better.”

Two more friendlies

Gilas is set to fly for Turkiye on Tuesday, 9 p.m. where they will play its national team for yet another tuneup match in preparation for the OQT in Latvia.

The Nationals are also scheduled to play the Polish national team before plunging into action in Riga where they will try to take down two higher-ranked nations in World No. 6 Latvia and No. 23 Georgia for a chance to advance in the knockout stage of the short meet that will complete the field of the Summer Olympic Games that will be held in Paris, France.

June Mar Fajardo had eight points after being reduced to a spectator in the last Gilas tour. Japeth Aguilar reprised his role and added six points off the bench. Mason Amos, who was tapped as a reserve back in April, chipped in three in the effort.

But there was no denying that Cone truly missed the injured Scottie Thompson, who had been central in his many campaigns with Barangay Ginebra in the PBA. “I do really, really miss Scottie. You all know how much I rely on Scottie. He’s such an infectious player. He infects the guys around him. He does all the things that don’t show up on the scorecard,” he said.



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.


Your subscription has been successful.

“It’s not that we can’t find a replacement for him, it’s just that we’re missing him. Anybody we’d get is not gonna replace Scottie. That’s just a fact of life. But we don’t feel shorthanded. We talked to the 11 guys. They’re 11 strong.” INQ

Rankings don’t faze Justin Brownlee, Gilas in Latvia OQT

On: By: admin


Justin Brownlee and Gilas Pilipinas during a tune-up game against Taiwan Mustangs ahead of the Fiba OQT. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Rankings are not even in Gilas Pilipinas’ minds heading into the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

At least that’s how Justin Brownlee views it.

After Gilas’ runaway 74-64 win over the Taiwan Mustangs at Philsports Arena on Monday, Brownlee admitted that he and the squad are well aware of the beasts they’ll have to face in less than two weeks over in Latvia.

That, though, isn’t posing a problem for the National team as they’re trusting the process under coach Tim Cone.

READ: Gilas Pilipinas beats Taiwan Mustangs in tune-up before OQT

“No matter if they’re ranked higher than us, they put on their shoes like we put on our shoes and we’ll come in to represent the country in the right way, in the best way we can,” said Brownlee.

“It’s going to be tough, really tough for us but that’s why we’re here. We’re going to play against the best in the world and of course, if you want to be Olympians and qualify, you have to play with the best in the world.”

Brownlee played his role as a guard/forward to perfection on Monday’s win with the absence of star guard, Scottie Thompson.

READ: Gilas won’t win all the time but team will make PH proud, says Tim Cone

With Gilas’ general playmaker out, Brownlee took over and dropped 15 assists with 12 points and five rebounds to match.

Brownlee’s unselfishness on the playing court allowed the Gilas swingmen to all score, not leaving anyone without points at the final buzzer.

But ball movement has always been one of the memos for Gilas under coach Tim Cone along with fundamentals that the Nationals shouldn’t rush the process en route to the OQT.

“You know Coach Tim told us that we definitely can’t rush the process, we’re taking it just one day at a time trying to get to a point where we’re about 10 days or so? Where we want to be playing at a high level so we can’t jump and get there right away.”

“The next 10 days, we’re gonna get as close as we can and I think we’ll be playing really well.”



Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.


Your subscription has been successful.

Before Gilas flies to Latvia next month, they will be competing in more friendlies over in Europe against Turkey and Poland.