11-man Gilas roster for Asian Games a possibility - Cone

An 11-man Gilas Pilipinas roster for the 20th Asian Games remains a possibility according to head coach Tim Cone.

During Thursday’s online press conference arranged by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas direct from South Korea, Cone said that Justin Brownlee have yet to confirm his participation in the Asiad as he is still working on his doctor’s clearance in the US.

“We haven’t had a confirmation yet from Justin whether he’s going to be here or not. The door is still open for him. He’s still working on clearances from doctors in the States. So as soon as that’s all cleared up, we’ll have a clearer picture as well,” Cone said.

And if Brownlee will not make it to Nagoya, Cone bared that they have no 12th player in mind to come over and fill the spot, as adding another player given the situation entails a lot on the logistics standpoint.

“At this point, no, we don’t have a 12 player in mind to come over. You know, there are certain budget restraints in terms of traveling with a lot of different people and in terms of hotels and airline tickets and the like. So we’ve kept that 12th spot open for Justin if he can make it,” he added.

Despite the possibility of not having Brownlee for the Philippines’ gold medal defense, Cone insisted that it will not be a problem if Gilas will have to parade only 11 players, citing the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament when the national team had to stick with 11 players, after Scottie Thompson went down with an injury right before the competition.

“We ended up going with 11. And we didn’t miss a beat there. And I think we’ll be fine. These guys are all willing to play extended minutes. And I think 11 is a really good number from a coaching standpoint in terms of not feeling like you have to force some guys who should be out there longer to play less because you want other guys to play,” Cone explained.

“So I don’t know if you know what I mean, but it’s easier from a coaching standpoint having oftentimes less players than it is having more,” said the Gilas head coach.

Southeast Asian Games veterans Robert Bolick and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser banner the all-PBA Gilas team, with Gilas Asian Qualifiers team holdovers Justin Arana, RJ Abarrientos, and Justine Baltazar.

From Gilas 3×3, Jerrick Ahanmisi now debuts for the 5-on-5 national squad with fellow first-timers Brandon Bates, Sedrick Barefield, Zavier Lucero, Adrian Nocum and Don Trollano.

The team arrived in South Korea on Wednesday and will play a pair of tune-up matches this weekend against the Korean national team as part of its preparation for the Asian Games in Nagoya Japan.

The men’s 5-on-5 basketball action tips off on September 10, with the Philippines defending the gold medal it won three years ago in the 19th Asian Games held in Hangzhou China.