Gilas Pilipinas Gears Up with Grit: Tim Cone Faces Roster Uncertainty as Practice Begins Amid PBA Playoffs

by Lou Reyes

Gilas Pilipinas national basketball team. Photo: Police Files Tonite.

MANILA, Philippines — The road to international glory has officially begun, but it’s a bumpy start for Gilas Pilipinas.

As the national team opened its training camp Monday at the PhilSports Arena, head coach Tim Cone was refreshingly candid about the uphill climb the squad faces: "We're grasping at straws," he admitted, citing glaring uncertainties surrounding player availability due to the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup playoffs.

The practice session, far from being a full-strength display, underscored the logistical challenges Cone and his staff must navigate with the country's top basketball stars still deep in the playoff trenches with their respective PBA clubs. With key cogs such as June Mar Fajardo, Scottie Thompson, CJ Perez, and others locked in playoff battles, the Gilas coaching staff was forced to settle for a truncated lineup, including practice players and naturalized mainstay Justin Brownlee.

“We're just trying to get guys in and start laying the groundwork,” said Cone, emphasizing that the initial sessions are more about building culture and system familiarity than executing full-blown scrimmages. “The hard part is that we don't know who we will have at any given time.”

With the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup just around the corner, Gilas Pilipinas Men's program director and team manager Alfrancis Chua shares updates on the team’s preparations for their July 28 send-off game against the Macau Black Bears.#GilasPilipinas #AsiaCup2025 pic.twitter.com/ycX1FjfnVY

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) July 6, 2025

The attendance uncertainties are a recurring theme in Philippine basketball. With the national team’s schedule perpetually intertwined with the PBA calendar, coaches are left juggling commitments, player conditioning, and chemistry-building under severe time constraints.

Yet despite the cloudy circumstances, there was a sense of optimism. Brownlee, a familiar face in the Gilas program, provided a stabilizing presence on the court. Young aspirants and developmental players were also on hand to soak up the system being laid down—an investment in continuity beyond just this tournament cycle.

The looming goal is the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers and eventually a strong run in the 2027 FIBA World Cup. But for now, Cone and company are focused on small victories—like getting bodies in the gym and absorbing the playbook.

While no final lineup has been announced, Cone remains committed to his “next-man-up” philosophy. “We’re not here to complain. We’re here to work. And whoever shows up, we’ll teach, we’ll coach, and we’ll move forward.”

With the PBA semifinals and finals stretching through July, Gilas may not see a full roster until late in the preparation window. Until then, the blueprint is simple: adapt, improvise, and keep the flag flying.

As training intensifies in the coming weeks, fans and analysts alike will be watching how this resilient group turns uncertainty into opportunity—and if Tim Cone can once again perform magic with limited cards in hand.