Cone welcomes tough Gilas draw in FIBA World Cup Asia Cup Qualifiers

MANILA, Philippines -- Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone remains upbeat on the national team's chances to make it to the 2027 FIBA World Cup, despite being drawn in a tough group in the Asian Qualifiers.

The road to one of the biggest international competitions began Tuesday evening during the World Cup qualifiers draw held at Doha. 

Facing "tough" luck, Gilas was drawn into a stacked group A alongside the World No. 7 Australia, World No. 22 New Zealand and World No. 88 Guam. 

Speaking to reporters after Ginebra’s 119-112 victory over Phoenix Friday evening, Cone stressed that they do not have control over the draw.

“Bottomline is we don’t have any control over that. So we deal with what we have. We’re not gonna feel bad about it, or regret it, or even feel excited about it. It’s the job ahead of us and we will do what we have to do to make it,” he commented. 

The veteran tactician emphasized the importance of focusing on the task at hand–securing a ticket to the World Cup–instead of worrying about the other countries in their group. 

“Australia and New Zealand are only two teams. In our minds, there are maybe nine or ten teams that are gonna really compete for those seven [spots]. We just have to be in the top seven of those 10. And that’s the job, it’s not necessarily about beating Australia or New Zealand or Guam.” 

While Gilas is expected to face formidable opponents, Cone believes getting a healthy Kai Sotto back into the lineup will be pivotal in once again upsetting international powerhouses. 

“With Kai, we can beat anybody. We’ve proven that. We played the number five or six team in the world in their house and beat them [Latvia],” Cone underscored.

Cone is optimistic that Sotto will be available once the first window begins, citing October as a possible return date. 

The qualifiers will have two rounds in home-and-away fashion. At the end of the two rounds, seven total teams, aside from World Cup hosts Qatar, will qualify for the basketball tourney. -- Ravi Tan, intern