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Gilas Gears Up Short-Handed As Tim Cone Keeps Calm Before Guam Showdown
Photo credit: PBA
Gilas Pilipinas opened its training camp this week a little thin on manpower, but coach Tim Cone isn’t losing sleep over it. With only 12 players available on Day 1, Cone said the team is simply making the most of what it has as it gears up for two big games against Guam in the first window of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.
Training kicked off Tuesday at the Blue Eagle Gym in Ateneo, w@ith fresh faces Juan Gomez de Liano and Quentin Millora-Brown joining the fold. Cone acknowledged the situation isn’t ideal — several key names are still abroad or nursing injuries — but he was upbeat.
“We’re doing alright,” Cone said. “It could be better with everybody here, but we’re doing the best with what we’ve got.”
AJ Edu, Kevin Quiambao and Carl Tamayo, all playing overseas, are expected to catch up later in the buildup for the Nov. 28 road game in Guam and the Dec. 1 home game at the Blue Eagle Gym. But Tamayo is iffy for the first match, as visa issues threaten to keep him from suiting up at the Calvo Fieldhouse.
After Ateneo, Gilas will hold sessions at Upper Deck in Ortigas, then head to the Inspire Sports Academy in Laguna for its usual mini-camp before flying to Guam.
The first day of practice brought together a solid core: naturalized star Justin Brownlee, PBA veterans June Mar Fajardo, Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar, CJ Perez, Chris Newsome, Troy Rosario, and RJ Abarrientos. Also on deck were Dwight Ramos and Jamie Malonzo, currently without a club but fully locked in with Gilas.
Three more players — naturalized big Ange Kouame, 7-foot-2 center Kai Sotto, and TNT’s Calvin Oftana — are in the wider pool. But both Sotto and Oftana are out for now, with Sotto still recovering from an ACL tear and Oftana nursing a hamstring injury that could sideline him up to a month.
Despite the challenges, Cone remains steady. For him, it’s simple: show up, put in the work, and keep the focus on Guam.
Training kicked off Tuesday at the Blue Eagle Gym in Ateneo, w@ith fresh faces Juan Gomez de Liano and Quentin Millora-Brown joining the fold. Cone acknowledged the situation isn’t ideal — several key names are still abroad or nursing injuries — but he was upbeat.
“We’re doing alright,” Cone said. “It could be better with everybody here, but we’re doing the best with what we’ve got.”
AJ Edu, Kevin Quiambao and Carl Tamayo, all playing overseas, are expected to catch up later in the buildup for the Nov. 28 road game in Guam and the Dec. 1 home game at the Blue Eagle Gym. But Tamayo is iffy for the first match, as visa issues threaten to keep him from suiting up at the Calvo Fieldhouse.
After Ateneo, Gilas will hold sessions at Upper Deck in Ortigas, then head to the Inspire Sports Academy in Laguna for its usual mini-camp before flying to Guam.
The first day of practice brought together a solid core: naturalized star Justin Brownlee, PBA veterans June Mar Fajardo, Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar, CJ Perez, Chris Newsome, Troy Rosario, and RJ Abarrientos. Also on deck were Dwight Ramos and Jamie Malonzo, currently without a club but fully locked in with Gilas.
Three more players — naturalized big Ange Kouame, 7-foot-2 center Kai Sotto, and TNT’s Calvin Oftana — are in the wider pool. But both Sotto and Oftana are out for now, with Sotto still recovering from an ACL tear and Oftana nursing a hamstring injury that could sideline him up to a month.
Despite the challenges, Cone remains steady. For him, it’s simple: show up, put in the work, and keep the focus on Guam.
Nov 20, 2025
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