Gilas eyes tune-up games in Middle East

(UPDATE) GILAS Pilipinas coach Tim Cone said given the short window of preparation for the FIBA Asia Cup 2025, they are still weighing their options on whether they will engage in some friendly games in Manila, or do it instead in the Middle East.

"The PBA finishes on July 27, and the Asia Cup starts August 5. If we get together for practice on the 28th [of July], that gives us eight days of preparation, not including travel time, so needless to say, our time is short," Cone told The Manila Times.

The American mentor knows that practice time and friendly games are both important as they head to the tournament set to start on Aug. 5 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

No wonder, Cone said they are studying their options at the moment.

"We're trying to get a friendly in there somewhere, whether locally or in the Middle East, but we also need the practice time, not just friendlies. We have prospects for friendlies. We'll see how it shakes out," he added.

Gilas Pilipinas will be playing in the same bracket along with former Oceania basketball powerhouse New Zealand, Taiwan and Iraq in Group D of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025.

The Filipinos split their matches against the Tall Blacks and the Taiwanese during the qualifiers.

Gilas pulled the rug from under New Zealand in the second window last November, 92-88, at the Mall of Asia Arena, before suffering an 87-70 beating in the third and final window last February in Auckland.

The national side also sustained a 93-84 shock loss to Taiwan last February, a complete contrast to how Gilas tore the East Asia basketball squad to shreds, 106-53, a year before that during the first window in Manila.

As per tournament format, Gilas will have to top its group to earn an outright berth in the quarterfinals.