CJ Perez and Gilas Pilipinas expect nothing less than a battle when they take on Guam in the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.
While the odds appear in favor of the Southeast Asian powerhouse, the star guard knows how eager Jericho Cruz and their foes are in proving that they belong as the team from Oceania figures in the program’s biggest games yet.
“I think ‘yung Guam, sobrang hungry niyan, lalo nakikita nila ‘yung progress ng team nila. Talagang excited sila,” he told Tiebreaker Times.
Guam is entering its first World Cup Qualifiers, earning a spot after being one of the 16 teams that competed in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 in Saudi Arabia.
The squad of Coach EJ Calvo has been on the come-up in recent years, and undeniably among the key figures behind that was Cruz, who began representing the island during the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers.
Much of the attention will be on the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup Finals MVP, as he’s going up against Gilas for the first time.
Perez knows how excited his San Miguel teammate is for their upcoming clashes. And he’s looking forward to it, too, as he’s proud to see his brother-in-arms and some of the league’s best take center stage on the FIBA stage.
“Masaya kami bilang PBA players na dumarami ang PBA players sa national teams,” said the 32-year-old, who’s bidding for a third World Cup stint.
But of course, all of that will have to take a backseat as the Filipino dribblers’ focus is drawn on one thing and one thing only: sweeping the Guamanians.
(C) PBA Images
Coach Tim Cone said that both are must-win outings, since it will be crucial in their aspirations of advancing to the Second Round.
After Guam, Team Philippines will be facing the reigning three-time FIBA Asia Cup champion Australia and New Zealand in the upcoming windows.
While he isn’t discounting pulling off upsets against those teams, the third and last spot in Group A needed to move on is a toss-up between them and Guam.
“If we don’t win this window, then we won’t make the World Cup. If we don’t make the World Cup, we can’t make the Olympics,” he said.
“So, if we don’t win these two games, all of our goals are dashed. That’s how crucial these two games are.”
Perez is well aware of that, too, believing that Gilas serves as a barometer for squads like Guam to gauge where they are right now as a team.
That’s precisely why he and the rest of the crew are bracing for a tough two-game stretch, which begins Friday at the Calvo Fieldhouse in Yigo Village.
“Sina Jericho, excited sila na makalaban ang Pilipinas. I think isa sa basehan din ng mga nasa ilalim na team ‘yung Pilipinas eh,” Perez said.
#WATCH: YUNG GUAM SOBRANG HUNGRY
CJ Perez is wary of the challenge set to be given by Jericho Cruz and Guam in the #FIBAWC Qualifiers 🇵🇭 🏀#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/T30hM7NFMW
📹 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/L2x6zmQjj9
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) November 24, 2025
