For Gilas Pilipinas Youth head coach Juno Sauler, the 19th Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup is no ordinary tune-up. It is a proving ground where potential meets pressure — and where final roster decisions for the 2026 FIBA U18 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers in Krabi, Thailand this June will ultimately take shape.
Competing in place of the University of the East, which withdrew from the preseason tournament, Gilas’ return to Filoil marks the first time a national team has joined the event since 2018, when the Jong Uichico-mentored Gilas Cadets showcased a stacked core featuring Kai Sotto, Carl Tamayo, Thirdy Ravena, Kobe Paras, and Robert Bolick.
This time, Sauler is working with a young, evolving pool tasked with going head-to-head against established collegiate programs in a loaded UAAP field — exactly the kind of challenge he believes will help shape his final 24-man roster into a tighter, more cohesive unit.
“We’re right on track. We still have a game on Thursday against UP. As of now, we’ve trimmed the pool down to 21. And then, probably after the UP game, we’ll go down to 16. Still expecting some Fil-Am players who are included in the pool to arrive on the 21st. And we’ll just have to see how the chemistry will go having them arrive with the local pool,” Sauler revealed after Gilas Youth suffered an 83-58 loss to Far Eastern University last Monday, May 18, at the Filoil Centre.
Comprising the 24-man pool looking to secure spots in the final lineup are Lian Basa, Ethan Aguas, Pat Pasinos, Andwele Cabañero, Hans Patagoc, Audwyn Tamayo, Louis Razon, Jacob Lacson, Bruce Tubongbanua, Aidan Green, Joaquin Tovera, Austin Arsic, Josef Calo-oy, Eoin Braga, Jibson Gaviola, Shaun Lucido, Kyle Sardon, Lance Amos, JB Cagurungan, Ziv Espinas, Prince Cariño, Jaime Teodoro, Chog Moral, and Andrew Chio.
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Should they advance through the SEABA Qualifiers, Gilas Youth will shift its focus to the 2026 FIBA U18 Asia Cup in Qatar this September — a stage where the Philippines has fallen short of the podium in its last four appearances.
Sauler, however, stressed that reputation and individual talent will not guarantee anyone a spot in the final 12, with chemistry and cohesion serving as the deciding factors.
“Wala pa. No one’s assured yet of a slot. That’s why this is also a good ground where we can gauge the abilities of each and every individual,” the concurrent assistant coach of University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP and Magnolia in the PBA explained.
“Not only individual talent, but what’s important is the chemistry of one another. You might have a very talented player, but if the chemistry’s not there with the other teammates, it’s going to be difficult for one player.”
Despite the physical and experience gap — including matchups against the reigning UAAP MVP Janrey Pasaol, foreign student-athlete Mo Konateh, and Kirby Mongcopa — Sauler said Gilas Youth held its ground and showed encouraging signs.
With their next assignment coming against tournament powerhouse and defending UAAP champion the University of the Philippines, the matchup is expected to serve as another valuable measuring stick for the young national pool.
The Fighting Maroons, for their part, are led by a deep frontcourt featuring Veejay Pre, Dieonte Miles, Francis Nnoruka, and Gani Stevens, among others.
“Positives, we just wanted to see our guys compete and give out their all-out effort. Of course, we’re playing UAAP college teams, and you have to understand that these are all high school players. But as long as they go out there and compete and follow the process of what we’re trying to accomplish, then that’s good enough for us,” Sauler shared.
“But as long as no one backs down and competes, that’s good enough. They leave everything on the floor, dive for those 50-50 balls, get rebounds, and as long as they hustle, that’s good enough.”
#WATCH: NO ONE IS ASSURED OF A SLOT 🇵🇭
Gilas Boys head coach Juno Sauler is using #Filoil2026 to evaluate who will make it to the national team’s #SEABAU18 lineup 🏀#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/3eh1oAHwMq
📹 @ErnestTuazon /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/p9qQFfLHfb
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) May 18, 2026
