Gilas counts on ‘Sixth Man’ vs Tall Blacks

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas will bank on the Filipino community in New Zealand when it tries to steal a W from powerhouse Tall Blacks in their FIBA World Cup Qualifiers duel in Auckland on Friday.

The Nationals expect their “kababayans” to show up in droves and fuel their drive in their WCQ third-window showdown with the Kiwis at the Spark Arena.

“It was a great crowd the last time we were there (New Zealand),” said coach Tim Cone.

He was referring to the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers match in the same venue in February 2025 in front of 8,345 fans that unfortunately witnessed a 70-87 loss for Gilas.

“When we were there, we didn’t play as well as we’d hoped, but it was a great crowd. I thought there were more cheers for us than there was for the national team. And that’s always amazing. We hope it’s the same or even better this time around. It’s always a pleasure to go on the road and see so many kababayans there really helping out and pushing us,” said Cone.

NZ counterpart Judd Flavell and his troops are ready for the loud Pinoy section in their turf.

“The atmosphere at Spark is going to be electric. Knowing the Filipino fans, we know it’s going to be loud and it’s going to be a party atmosphere,” he said on the Tall Blacks’ website. “It’s not a new experience for us, but it’s always a great experience.”

The Kiwis have won their last three matches with Gilas head to head,  a streak they started after absorbing an 89-93 upset in the opening round of the Asia Cup Qualifiers in November 2024 at the MOA Arena.