He is “Motor Mike” for a reason.
Mike Phillips emerged as one of the few bright spots in Gilas Pilipinas’ 92-49 loss to host Australia at RAC Arena in Perth on Monday evening.
Playing in just his second game for the national team, the 6-foot-8 big man introduced himself to the international stage in the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers by showing why he earned the “Motor Mike” moniker. Phillips brought relentless energy, hauling down 14 rebounds in 24 minutes and 29 seconds of action.
He also scored six points, including two thunderous dunks, while adding a steal and a block.
“Yeah, he was one of the bright lights for us tonight. He was doing great, especially in the first half. He was rebounding the heck out of the ball and just playing,” said Philippines head coach Tim Cone after the game.
“His nickname is ‘Motor Mike’ and there’s a reason for that. He plays with such a tremendous motor. He’s all over the floor.”
(C) FIBA
It was a strong bounce-back performance for Phillips, who finished with two points, three rebounds, and one steal in 11 minutes during Gilas Pilipinas’ 106-102 double-overtime loss to New Zealand last Friday.
His role became even more significant against the Boomers as the Filipinos were without Justin Brownlee, who sat out due to multiple injuries.
For Cone, Phillips’ performance was only a glimpse of what he can offer, noting that the forward delivered despite playing on a “gimpy ankle” after suffering an injury during one of Gilas’ tune-up games before the third window.
The Philippines finished third in Group A with a 2-4 record, enough to advance to the second round of the Asian Qualifiers, which begins on August 27 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Gilas will face Jordan on August 28 before taking on Iran on August 30.
“He’s a young guy, and he plays with so much enthusiasm. It’s very infectious,” Cone said of Phillips.
“Tonight, it was less visible because of the score, but I think that’s something our fans are really going to appreciate moving forward — watching him play with that kind of effort and seeing the other guys get infected by it and continue to play.”
