Tag: Latvia

Romualdez lauds Gilas Pilipinas after win vs Latvia

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MANILA, Philippines — House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez heaped praises for Gilas Pilipinas after pulling an upset against world no. 6 Latvia in the 2024 FIBA Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT).

Romualdez in a statement on Thursday said that Gilas’ victory in the OQT is proof of the Filipino’s unwavering spirit and dedication to their craft.

“It is with great pride and heartfelt congratulations that I commend Gilas Pilipinas for their historic victory against Latvia in an official FIBA tournament. This triumph, ending a 64-year drought of wins against European teams, is glaring proof of the unwavering spirit, dedication, and perseverance of our national basketball team,” he said.

“Hindi lamang ito simpleng panalo sa scoreboard, kundi isang panalo para sa puso ng bawat atletang nangangarap na irepresent ang Pilipinas sa pandaigdigang kompetisyon. Nagsisilbi itong inspirasyon sa maraming Pilipino na magpursige dahil iba ang talento ng mga Pilipino,” he added.

(This is not just a win on the scoreboard, but also a win for the heart of all athletes hoping to represent the Philippines in international tourneys. This will serve as an inspiration for many Filipinos to pursue because our talents are one of a kind.)

READ: Gilas Pilipinas stuns world No. 6 Latvia to open Fiba OQT bid

Gilas, currently ranked 37 in the world, won 89-80 against OQT host Latvia. The victory opened up the possibility of an assured semifinal berth for the Philippine team should they win against Georgia or lose by a margin of less than 19 points.

The Philippines eventually failed to win against Georgia but was able to clinch the semifinal spot as they lost only by two, 96-94.

READ: Gilas falls short vs Georgia, but still headed to Fiba OQT semis

Romualdez meanwhile assured Gilas and other Filipino athletes of the House’s continuous support.

“We are committed to providing the necessary resources and assistance to help our national team reach even greater heights. Whether through legislative measures or collaborative efforts with relevant organizations, we will ensure that our athletes receive the support they need to excel on the international stage,” Romualdez noted.

“To the players, coaching staff, and everyone involved with Gilas Pilipinas, we extend our deepest gratitude and admiration. Your dedication and hard work have brought immense pride to our nation. May this victory be the first of many, as you continue to inspire us with your exceptional performance and unyielding spirit,” he added. —With reports from Moss Laygo, trainee



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Gilas win over Latvia puts spotlight on Tim Cone triangle offense

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Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone during a Fiba OQT Riga game against world No. 6 Latvia. –FIBA BASKETBALL

MANILA, Philippines — In an era where the three-point has become one of the major weapons in basketball, Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone continues to prove that triangle offense can still work even on the world stage, which is now dominated by fast-paced plays.

Cone’s signature offensive scheme worked wonders to stun World No.6 and host Latvia, 89-80, to open Gilas’ Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) campaign with high hopes on early Thursday morning (Manila time) in Riga. 

Some may call the triangle offense outdated in today’s era of basketball reliant on sprawlball — a term coined by NBA analyst Kirk Goldsberry for the current dominance of the three-point shot — the 66-year-old Cone said he will live and die with the system innovated by Tex Winter and popularized by NBA multi-titled coach Phil Jackson with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.

SCHEDULE: Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba OQT in Riga, Latvia

“I guess I’m still a dinosaur at heart playing the triangle. I’ve been playing the triangle for 30-plus years I was mentored by Tex Winter. I just enjoyed living on his legacy and keeping it going. It’s an offense I believe in,” said Cone in the postgame press conference of the country’s first win against a European team since beating Spain in the 1960 Rome Olympics.

Even the longtime PBA coach admitted that at some point in his career, he doubted the system that helped him win multiple titles with the Alaska Aces, San Mig Coffee (Magnolia franchise), and Barangay Ginebra. 

“There’s a lot of critics especially when it went to the New York Knicks, people started doubting it. And even I left it for a couple of years because I was like everybody must be right, if everybody’s saying it’s a bad offense, they must be right. But I did as much as I could for two years without it,” said Cone. “And then I went back to it. It’s been my best friend ever since.”

Living and dying by the triangle

Gilas Pilipinas Latvia Georgia Philippines Fiba OQT Riga Schedule live updates

Gilas Pilipinas ahead of its game against Latvia in the Fiba OQT in Riga. –FIBA BASKETBALL

Missing a couple of key players ahead of the OQT, the 25-time PBA champion coach stood firm in applying his bread-and-butter in their quest to chase a ticket for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“When I came into camp with my players, I told them this is what I know best, this is what I can teach best and so we’re gonna live and die with this,” Cone said. “People aren’t as familiar with it now since when Chicago and LA were, 10 years ago,” he said. “I’m enjoying running it and I’ve always enjoyed running it and I’m just proud that we’re able to do something with it.”

READ: Tim Cone says Gilas win over Latvia ‘means a lot to fans back home’

The triangle works for Cone in a way that makes his defensive system easier with Gilas limiting Latvia to a 27-of-72 shooting clip and its NBA player Davis Bertans scoring just 10 points on a 2-of-8 shooting clip.

“It’s an offense, if I may say, that plays at a tempo in which you can play defense and that’s why I love it so much and I’m kind of famous for the triangle. But I really feel like I’m more of a defensive-oriented coach and that offense just helps me run the defense,” Cone said.

Latvia coach Luca Banchi believes that Cone’s triangle offense wasn’t just the key to the Filipinos’ triumph but also their height and defense. 

“They have an efficient offensive system. It’s not simple. Let’s say not only in Europe but in general, it’s not common to have teams who run such a T system,” said Banchi, who steered Latvia to a fifth-place finish in last year’s Fiba World Cup in Manila.

“It takes time. I know that the coach has a long time coaching and, let’s say, sharing these basketball ideas around the country. That affects the players’ style and that allowed the team to have a very clear identity on the court but I believe that also defensively, this is a team that you have to attack with better poise and focus, which we didn’t do tonight.”

Gilas continues its chase for an Olympic berth against Georgia on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. (Manila time). 

Cone’s triangle has been immortalized in the PBA as one of the most successful systems in league history and even in Philippine basketball after it delivered the team’s first Asian Games gold since 1962 in the 19th edition in China last year.



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Will it end the country’s 52-year appearance drought in Olympic basketball?

Gilas win over Latvia ‘means a lot to fans back home’

On: By: admin


Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone during a Fiba OQT Riga game against world No. 6 Latvia. –FIBA BASKETBALL

MANILA, Philippines — Even Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone was shocked with how his team pulled off a massive upset against world No.6 Latvia in the opener of their Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) campaign.

Gilas Pilipinas, led by Justin Brownlee and big men June Mar Fajardo and Kai Sotto, never wavered against one of the world’s best teams as it stunned Latvia with a wire-to-wire 89-80 win in front of the massive home crowd on Thursday (Manila Time) in Riga.

It was the country’s first against a European team since beating Spain in the 1960 Rome Olympics. And Cone was in awe of how the Filipinos overcame the daunting task, pouncing on the absence of Latvia star Arturs Zagars and limiting the home team to 27-of-72 shooting through their steady defense and masterful run of the triangle offense.

SCHEDULE: Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba OQT in Riga, Latvia

“I’m totally shocked to be sitting here in front of you guys after winning this basketball game,” Cone said in the postgame press conference.

“This is not something we thought we were gonna do, I’ll be honest with you, we wanted to come in and compete and really put on a good show. We got started early. We made shots early. Then, thankfully, Latvia missed shots and also Zagars didn’t play.”

Cone lauded the defense of his squad, which helped them pull off the stunner including the big shots of Brownlee down the stretch, limiting NBA player Davis Bertans to just 10 points on 2-of-8 shooting.

“Got to credit our guys and their defense. We were doing our best trying to defend everybody,” said the Gilas coach. “We were obviously very, very conscious of him (Bertans). We played him with a smaller guy who can be quicker. You look at our line-up, our big guy had to go out and guard (Rodion)Kurucs. We put our big guy on Kurucs and kept a smaller guy on Bertans.”

READ: Gilas Pilipinas stuns world No. 6 Latvia to open Fiba OQT bid

“But the guy (Bertans) still makes some incredible shots… Watching him in Georgia, and then we were going through all the videos, we were preparing for him. The shots he makes are just phenomenal. You just have to hold your breath and hope he misses. We try to slide into him and then hope and pray that he would miss. And tonight, he missed, went in our favor,” he added.

Cone attributed their big win to the Filipino fans back home, who stayed late which the game starting at midnight Thursday in Philippine time, to show their support by watching their first OQT game.

‘Basically Filipino’

Gilas Pilipinas looks to thr crowd after beating world No. 6 and home team Latvia in a Fiba OQT game in Riga.

Tim Cone-led Gilas Pilipinas looks to the crowd after beating world No. 6 and home team Latvia in a Fiba OQT game in Riga. –FIBA PHOTO

“How many times you can get to the international arena and have success? That’s a huge feather in your cap, not just for me but for all the players and all the people back home,” said the Barangay Ginebra coach.

“I grew up in the Philippines. I’ve been there my whole life. I went there when I was nine years old. And people know that about me and they know that I’m basically a Filipino although I have blonde hair and green eyes. It’s a feather in the cap for everyone.”

READ: Tim Cone dismisses notion that Gilas not big, fast, strong enough

“For us to have success on the world stage really means a lot to what’s going on back home. This is what we always wanted so this is a big huge step for us to be able to play Latvia at home and go at them face-to-face and come out with a win. It’s amazing for us.”

Despite their impressive start in the OQT, Cone stressed that the Filipinos didn’t come to win just one game but to “move on and get to the next round and have a chance to play in the final” as they battle World No. 23 Georgia on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. (Manila time).



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“We really wanna try and get to the final and see what will happen if we get to the finals. That’s really the goal,” he said. “ Whenever you win a game the expectations go up so then you have to keep chasing the expectations and hopefully we won’t feel that and hopefully we can get that communicated to our team that we can’t play the expectations, we just play the way that we can play.”

“We have to turn around and play Georgia and our gonna country is gonna expect us, especially after this win tonight, to win tomorrow and it’s really gonna be a tough job for us to beat Georgia.”

Latvia crushes Georgia ahead of Gilas game

On: By: admin


Latvia’s Davis Bertans takes a 3-pointer against Georgia during the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga, Latvia.–Photo from Fiba

SCHEDULE: Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba OQT in Riga, Latvia

MANILA, Philippines—Buoyed by the home crowd, Latvia got off to a dominant start in its last-chance bid to make the Paris Olympics.

The Latvians showed why they’re ranked sixth in the world by blowing out Georgia, 88-53, on opening night of the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament at Arena Riga.

“We are very happy for the way we entered the tournament after long seasons for everybody,” said Latvia coach Luca Banchi, whose squad takes on Gilas Pilipinas next on Thursday, 12 a.m. (Manila time).

READ: Fiba OQT: Bahamas tops Finland, Slovenia falls to Croatia

“The guys responded very well, starting from the defensive approach, bringing energy and good rhythm. We kept a good level of intensity all throughout the game.”

Arturs Strautins had a perfect offensive game to lead Latvia with 18 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field including four triples and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.

Mareks Mejeris and Rolands Smits also gave the Latvians a lift with their all-around effort combining for 21 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and four steals.

NBA veteran Davis Bertans, who plays for the Charlotte Hornets, added nine points for Latvia, which finished fifth in last year’s Fiba World Cup in Manila.

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

Latvia is expected to sweep Group A despite missing the services of NBA star Kristaps Porzingis, who recently underwent leg surgery to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon.

The Boston Celtics center suffered what was considered a rare injury in Game 2 of the NBA Finals last month.

Alexander Mamukelashlivi was the sole double-digit scorer for Georgia with 14 points and four rebounds.



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Gilas Pilipinas stuns world No. 6 Latvia to open Fiba OQT bid

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Justin Brownlee leads Gilas Pilipinas’ rout of host Latvia to open the Filipinos’ Fiba OQT campaign. –FIBA PHOTO

SCHEDULE: Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba OQT in Riga, Latvia

Gilas Pilipinas pounced on Latvia’s early shooting woes and played with steely nerves down the stretch to topple World No. 6 and host Latvia, 89-80, in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) on Thursday.

The No. 37-ranked Filipinos, overwhelming underdogs in the short meet at Arena Riga that will send a winner to the Paris Olympics, raced to an 8-0 start and built a sizable cushion that they never yielded until the final horn.

“I’m totally shocked to be sitting in front of you guys after winning this basketball game. This is not something we thought we were gonna do, I’ll be honest with you,” said Gilas coach Tim Cone after the Philippines beat a European team for the first time in 64 years.

“We wanted to come in and compete and really put on a good show. We got started early. We hit shots early. And thankfully Latvia missed shots.”

Naturalized ace Justin Brownlee delivered a near triple-double of 26 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, while young cornerstones Kai Sotto and Dwight Ramos tossed in 18 and 11 points, respectively, for a triumph that got Gilas’ campaign off to a rousing start.

READ: Tim Cone dismisses notion that Gilas not big, fast, strong enough

Barring a massive blowout at the hands of World No. 23 Georgia, the Philippines is on track to advance to the crossover knockout phase which could pit the Filipinos against Cameroon, Brazil or Montenegro.

Chris Newsome scored 10 points, including a couple of late baskets in the final period that kept the Latvians at bay with the results significantly shaking up the Group A race.

Gilas Pilipinas' Kai Sotto among the top performers against Latvia in the Fiba OQT.

Gilas Pilipinas’ Kai Sotto among the top performers against Latvia in the Fiba OQT. –FIBA BASKETBALL

The Latvians, having won 24 of their last 27 Fiba games, were projected to sweep the preliminaries, but struggled against a determined Gilas side and dropped to 1-1 in the OQT.

It also didn’t help the hosts that their outside shooting abandoned them just as the Filipinos hit theirs. Latvia was 10-for-42 while Gilas wound up 9-of-20 from deep.

“There were a couple of stretches, like Kai said, that we kind of lost our way a little bit but it seems like when Latvia was just about ready to make huge run at us, they would miss an open three-point shot,” Cone said.

“And that’s just one of those night for Latvia—they just won’t hit shots tonight.”

Rodions Kurucs and Rolands Smits joined hands for a last-ditch effort for the Latvians, but the Gilas cushion—which swelled to as big as 26 points—proved too big to overhaul.

READ: Tim Cone ‘not satisfied’ until Gilas reaches optimal FIBA OQT form

Kurucs had 18 points, Davis Bertans, Kristers Zoriks and Janis Strelnieks 10 each while Smits had 9 in the Latvian effort that left many in the home crowd in disbelief.

Gilas and Georgia tangle in 18 hours (8:30 p.m. Manila time) at the same venue.



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Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba OQT in Riga, Latvia

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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.



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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.

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.”



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