Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone expressed optimism about his team's ability to pull off surprises in their upcoming away games against Oceania powerhouses New Zealand and Australia for the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers. Speaking during a Gilas open workout press conference at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City on Monday, June 22, 2026, Cone said he wouldn't be shocked if his team managed to secure victories on the road.
History of Upsets
“We’ve been a team that pulled surprises before and I’m not going to be surprised if we pulled it off,” said the veteran coach. The national team has a history of stunning opponents, including a victory over China at home in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, an upset against then-No. 6 ranked Latvia in the FIBA Olympic qualifier in Riga, and an overtime escape against Saudi Arabia during the FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah.
Upcoming Challenges
Cone hopes the magic continues for Gilas as they battle New Zealand in Auckland on July 3 and then travel to Australia for a July 6 meeting with the Boomers in Perth. These games close out the first round of the qualifiers. “Every game for Gilas is a championship game. It’s a Game 7,” quipped the Barangay Ginebra coach. “And we just got to be prepared the best way we can.”
Preparation and Acclimatization
Cone appreciated the work done by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) in arranging for the national team to travel to Australia almost two weeks before the window. The team held a training camp in Brisbane to adjust to the cold weather and played a couple of friendlies against professional New Zealand teams. “I like the way the SBP has set it up for us in terms of being able to go down to Brisbane and acclimatize ourselves to the weather a little bit, get a camp down there, and play a couple of friendlies against pro New Zealand teams,” said the Gilas coach.
“I think that’s a really good preparation for us,” added Cone. “I’ve always said a prepared team is a confident team. If we feel like we’re prepared and ready to go, then we’re going to be confident, and that will show in our game. And I think this is really one of our best chances to do that with the preparation that we have and the preparation behind us.”
