Gilas Pilipinas vows 'renewed fire' when it reconvenes for FIBA Window 3 in July

The pain of the narrow loss to New Zealand and a lopsided defeat to Australia still lingers for Gilas Pilipinas, but so does the spark those setbacks ignited.

National team head coach Tim Cone is hoping the squad can translate that fuel into wins when they reconvene for the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers in July, where they are set for rematches against both the Tall Blacks and the Boomers.

"We’re gonna look forward to July and like I said, it is so honorable to play and be with this team, it really is," Cone said on Sunday.

"So when we come back together in July, it’s always gonna be a special thing and I think we’re gonna come back with renewed fire and it’s back to the drawing board for me a little bit."

Gilas opened the qualifiers with two statement wins over Guam last year, but fell flat in their home stand against higher-ranked New Zealand and Australia last week.

The Filipinos put up a gallant stand against the world No. 25 Tall Blacks last Thursday, but ran out of steam down the stretch as Dwight Ramos missed a potential game-tying three-pointer en route to a 69-66 defeat.

They returned to the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday against Australia, hoping to atone for that loss. And for much of the first half, the Filipinos stayed on track with that mission with Justin Brownlee leading the offense for Gilas. 

But Australia came out of the halftime break firing, torching the Filipinos with a huge second half that ultimately spelled doom for the Philippines. The Boomers pulled off a 93-66 victory to remain undefeated in Group A with a 4-0 card. 

"The first half, we played good defense, the game was close. And then, going into the second half, we know we just had to step up a little but I guess they just came out with more energy," Ramos said.

"They got away from us. It’s a bad feeling to lose by that much at home but a loss is a loss either way."

Cone and Gilas Pilipinas are bracing for a tougher third window, especially with the challenge of playing Down Under during the Australian winter. For the decorated tactician, however, it’s just one of many adjustments the team must make as they gear up for redemption against the two powerhouse nations.

"We’re gonna have to go down there in their winter time so it’s gonna be a different field for us. They came up here during summer. I think it’s one of the adjustments we’re going to have to make in July when we go down to New Zealand and Australia," Cone added.

"We expect a colder weather, colder gym, and be ready for that."

—JMB, GMA Integrated News