Gilas Pilipinas has reached new heights since Tim Cone took over the program last year.
After serving as an assistant to Chot Reyes during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Cone became the interim head coach following Reyes’ resignation.
Under his leadership, the Philippines ended a 60-year gold medal drought in the Asian Games.
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Cone’s official appointment came three months later, as Gilas prepared for the opening window of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
He wasted no time in outlining his vision for the program, naming 12 core players to the squad.
Under the winningest head coach in PBA history, the Nationals enjoyed a dominant first window, delivering impressive victories over Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei.
Then came one of the biggest victories in the country’s rich basketball history.
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Against all odds, the Philippines defeated world No. 6 Latvia, 89-80, in the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
This historic win marked the first time the Filipinos beat a European team since 1960.
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However, Gilas faced a major setback when starting big man Kai Sotto sustained a rib injury during their loss to Georgia – a key factor in their heartbreaking semifinal defeat to Brazil.
Fast forward to today, and the Philippines has reached another milestone under Cone by securing their first-ever victory over New Zealand, 93-89, in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers last Thursday.
This victory also ended a four-game losing streak against the Tall Blacks.
Cone expressed that these moments are exactly what he signed up for, sharing his joy in giving back to a basketball-crazy nation.
“I mean, that’s what we’re here for, right? Try to win these types of games,” the Ginebra head coach said after securing another monumental victory for the national team.
Cone credited the players for their vital role in the program’s growth, emphasizing that their commitment and perseverance were crucial to the team’s recent successes.
He also praised their dedication to representing the country, despite modest compensation compared to their salaries with their mother clubs.
“I just love the commitment that Kai is showing, coming in every day early. These guys, I’ll be honest, they’re not making big money doing this. They’re coming here basically on… It’s not even big. It’s a small, little portion of the salaries they’re making in their home teams than what they are making here,” Cone shared.
“So they’re coming in here with their hearts more than their pockets. They’re here, they’re giving it their all, going through two-a-day practices,” he went on. “Poor guy [Kai Sotto] had to go through two-a-day practices coming off a concussion and still battling through it all, and everybody else is doing the same.
“My hat is really off to the players and what they are doing to get to this level and get to this point. I think we should all be proud of them,” he added.
Cone has yet to manage a fully healthy and complete roster, leaving him to ponder what might have been – particularly in the OQT, where the team was without Scottie Thompson for the entire tournament and lost Kai Sotto in the later stages.
Meanwhile, AJ Edu (knee) and Jamie Malonzo (calf) have yet to make their debuts in the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.
“The OQT was fantastic, and I thought we could have done a lot better if this guy [Kai Sotto] hadn’t gotten hurt,” Cone said.
“That kind of put us behind the eight ball. Again, you can see the effect that Kai has on the game, and you can also see the effect that Scottie [Thompson] has on the game. We didn’t have Scottie in the OQT as well,” he continued.
“We played Brazil – the number 12 team in the world – without Kai, without Scottie, without AJ Edu, who will eventually impact us because of his defensive skills [that] really complement Kai and some of the things that he does.”
Despite the team’s recent success, Cone believes there are still great things ahead for Gilas once the squad fields a full-strength and injury-free roster.
“You put a Jamie Malonzo, a 6-foot-7, 6-foot-6 guy on a Corey Webster… He’s gonna give Corey Webster all kinds of problems because he has that speed and quickness and length to give him trouble,” said Cone.
“You know, we haven’t seen our best team yet. And yet, we’ve been able to beat the number six, number 22, so we’re still trying to see exactly where we can go and how far we can go.”
