Robert Bolick will look to achieve a feat that only a handful of Filipino basketball players have accomplished — winning gold in both the Southeast Asian Games and the Asian Games.
Nine months after leading Gilas Pilipinas Men to gold in the 33rd SEA Games, Bolick will return to the national team, this time for the 20th Asian Games, as he leads the 12-man squad that will compete in Nagoya, Japan.
Only a few players have achieved the feat. Chris Newsome, Calvin Oftana, Arvin Tolentino, and Justin Brownlee were the latest to do so after winning gold in both the 32nd SEA Games and the 19th Asian Games.
Joining Bolick in the Gilas backcourt are window pool members RJ Abarrientos and Sedrick Barefield, who is making his national team debut, as well as Adrian Nocum.
On the wings are Don Trollano, who was the last cut from the 2018 Asian Games team, along with debutants Jerrick Ahanmisi and Zavier Lucero.
Manning the frontline are window pool members Justin Arana and Justin Baltazar, as well as returning big man Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, who was part of the 2023 SEA Games team, and debuting Brandon Bates.
While Bolick and the rest of the Asiad squad prepare for a different challenge, head coach Tim Cone acknowledged that the team will have to adjust to a system that differs from the one used by the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers squad.
“It’s a different system. They’re not playing my system,” said Cone, who admitted to being a big man-oriented mentor.
Cone tasked his deputies Jong Uichico, Richard del Rosario, and Josh Reyes with handling the Asiad squad’s build-up while he oversaw the FIBA window team’s preparation and campaign.
“They’re playing a different system and more of an up-tempo push-the-ball (game) because they’re a little bit smaller. Obviously, they’re smaller because they don’t have Kai and AJ and June Mar playing. So, they’re smaller,” Cone said.
“So, they’re going to use their speed and quickness to get up and down the floor.”
Cone is still holding out hope that Justin Brownlee will be able to join the team.
Gilas will leave the country today for South Korea, where they will face the Korean national team in Suwon, with the games scheduled for Friday and Sunday.
Gilas is grouped with China, Bahrain, and Kazakhstan in the Asiad’s pool stage.
