Cone invites public to watch Gilas men’s and women’s joint practice

Gilas interim coach Tim Cone has invited basketball fans to watch both the men's and women's team practice this Thursday, September 14 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

Gilas Pilipinas PHOTO BY RIO DELUVIO

Cone extended the invitation to the general public to watch the joint practice through his official Twitter account @manilacone on Tuesday.

“Gilas Men's Team will have a joint practice with Gilas Women's Team at Philsports on Thursday, Sept 14. We will share the court and have interactions between both teams,” Cone wrote.

“The public is free to come and observe. The gates will open at 4 pm. NO tickets necessary.” The national squad is currently on its third straight day of practice on Wednesday, September 13 as Cone tries to whip up the team quickly, given the short window of preparation for the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Naturalized players Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame are leading the rejigged Gilas team, just over a week after the national squad closed its 2023 FIBA World Cup campaign with a 96-75 win over China in the classification stage.

Also making a Gilas comeback for the Asian Games are Calvin Abueva and Terrence Romeo, along with first-time national team member Jason Perkins.

Other members of the Gilas team are World Cup team holdovers June Mar Fajardo, Japeth Aguilar, Roger Pogoy and Scottie Thompson, along with Moala Tautuaa, Chris Newsome and Calvin Oftana.

The Philippines last won the Asian Games gold medal in 1962 in Jakarta, Indonesia behind recent FIBA Hall of Fame inductee Carlos “Caloy” Loyzaga, Kurt Bachmann, Eddie Pacheco, Narciso Bernardo and Rhoel Nadurata.

The national squad, then coached by Yeng Guiao, placed fifth in the 2018 edition in Jakarta in a tournament that saw Jordan Clarkson make his much-awaited debut as a naturalized player for the Philippines.