RJ Abarrientos, Justin Arana, and Justine Baltazar must now make the jump from Gilas Pilipinas’ fourth-window pool to the Asian Games squad, where they are expected to take on bigger roles for the Philippines.
The three saw limited action during the World Cup qualifiers.
Abarrientos did not play in the window, while Arana suited up against Iran but did not enter the game. Baltazar, on the other hand, saw just three minutes of action throughout the entire window.
Their inclusion is part of head coach Tim Cone’s delicate balancing act as the FIBA World Cup qualifiers and Asian Games fall within such close proximity.
Rather than run the same group through both competitions, Cone opted to split not just the teams but his coaching staff as well.
“LA [Tenorio], Sean [Chambers], and myself took over the window team while Richard [Del Rosario], Jong [Uichico], and Josh [Reyes] took over the Asian Games team,” he shared with the media following the Philippines’ 68-56 win over Iran.
“They’ve been practicing through this whole window action with them. They’ve been doing two teams a day, so that’s allowed me to stay locked in on the window.”
For Cone, the arrangement proved to be a huge success, with Gilas finishing the fourth qualifying window unbeaten.
He believes the setup was a smart one, especially given the Philippines’ history of struggling to handle similarly packed schedules.
He cited 2014, when the Chot Reyes-led Gilas squad made a historic run at the World Cup in Spain before immediately shifting gears toward the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
“It’s really kinda smart, in my opinion, and I wasn’t the one to bring up the idea of making two teams. You come out of windows like this, we’re really exhausted, then you gotta turn around and go right into the Asian Games. It hasn’t really worked in the past,” Cone noted.
“I remember Chot’s team. They played fabulously in the World Cup in Spain, then they had to fly all the way over to Korea and play the Asian Games. They just didn’t have the energy to play because of that grueling World Cup they had.”
Cone also stressed that Gilas’ victories over Iran and Jordan in the qualifiers — both touted as favorites for the Asian Games — do not necessarily carry over to the continental meet because the rosters will be different.
One significant player absent from the “Window Team” was Justin Brownlee, but Cone provided an update that could prove crucial to the formation of the Asian Games squad.
“We’re hoping there’s a chance; we heard that Justin might come in. It’s not confirmed. But he’s intending to come, that we know of,” he said.
The confidence in Brownlee’s potential return was reflected in the coaching staff’s decision to include him in the 13-man list, a roster expanded specifically to accommodate the naturalized player.
Cone also revealed that the Asian Games squad will be composed strictly of PBA players, with those currently playing in the B.League and KBL unable to participate. The players must also come from the original pool submitted to the organizing committee.
Moreover, Cone weighed in on Bennie Boatwright but said Gilas was still unable to secure his passport in time for the Asian Games.
For now, both players and coaches will take a much-needed day off on Monday before reconvening on Tuesday. They will then fly to Korea on Wednesday for two friendly matches before making their way to Nagoya, Japan.
The Asian Games squad will also operate under a different, more up-tempo system, according to Cone, primarily because of its lack of size.
And while Cone admitted that he has not seen much of the Asian Games team because of his commitments with the window squad, what he has witnessed during their inter-team scrimmages has left him encouraged.
“They’re a lot of fun to watch. The countrymen are gonna have a lot of fun watching that team,” he said of the Asiad squad.
