MANILA, Philippines – Tim Cone learned the hard way as he looked back on Gilas Pilipinas’ grueling campaigns in the Doha International Cup in Qatar and the final window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
Playing five games in three different countries in a span of 10 days took its toll on Cone and his wards as the team won only once, beating Qatar then enduring four straight losses to Lebanon, Egypt, Chinese Taipei, and New Zealand.
“I did not foresee it being that hard. I want it hard but it was much harder than I thought it was going to be,” said Cone.
“The fact that they fought and played through it and did all that stuff and rode economy and stayed in foreign beds…they just battled. We battled through it.”
Competing in Qatar may have done more harm than good for the Philippines, considering the quick turnaround for the two road games in the Asia Cup Qualifiers.
After completing its three-game stint in Qatar on February 16, the Nationals returned home momentarily and flew to Taipei for their game against the Taiwanese on February 20.
With no rest for the weary, the squad then headed to Auckland to face the Tall Blacks on February 23.
Cone admitted the adjustment to different time zones — with Qatar five hours behind and New Zealand five hours ahead of the Philippines — and the consecutive trips wore the team out.
“It was a great experience in terms of having to battle through these things. This is something we’re going to have to do in the future. It is so much harder playing on the road against a home team than it is playing here,” said Cone.
“These are things that I’m still learning about the national game in terms of the travel and what it takes and playing on the road.”
“I’m dizzy and blurry-eyed going through all that travel. I’m not a young spring chicken anymore. It was a really tough trip. Now we know how to set things up better. Next time around, we’ll be smarter.”
As the team adjusts to life without injured big man Kai Sotto, Cone intends to put more emphasis on defense as the Philippines allowed teams to score an average of 82.0 points throughout that five-game stretch.
In contrast, the Filipinos limited opponents to an average of 72.4 points in their seven prior games since Cone officially took over as head coach — a run that saw them post a 5-2 record.
“Hindsight is best sight. If I could do it again, I’d make sure that we get locked in defensively before we get locked into the triangle,” said Cone.
Gilas Pilipinas will return to action in six months for the Asia Cup, which will be hosted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from August 5 to 17. – Rappler.com