Now that Gilas Pilipinas has gotten Guam out of the way, the real grind is coming up early next year against New Zealand and Australia.
As expected, Gilas Pilipinas swept Guam in their home-and-away two-game series in the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers. The only real surprise was the tougher-than-expected stance the Chamorros put up in the second game on Tuesday night at the Blue Eagle Gym. It was still a comfortable 95-71 win for the home team, but not as dominant as the 87-46 beatdown the Filipinos delivered last November 28 at the Calvo Arena in Guam.
Gilas now turns its attention to the two other teams in their qualifiers group, heavyweights Australia and New Zealand. The two neighbors also duked it out in their own two-game series, with the Boomers winning both games by close margins. Gilas will host both teams in the next window on February 26 and March 1, and coming away with at least one win would be huge considering the last window in July will feature two road games.
Here’s a snapshot of where Gilas stands as of the moment, including takeaways from the Guam games and what to expect in the next window.
QMB’s debut was pretty good
Quentin Millora-Brown was the lone new face on the Gilas roster (strictly speaking, RJ Abarrientos isn’t a Gilas rookie), and the big man acquitted himself quite well, averaging 7.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in 20 minutes. He’s still picking up the nuances of Tim Cone’s system, but he manned the fort well in Kai Sotto’s absence.
“I love the way he plays,” said forward Dwight Ramos, QMB’s roommate for this window. “He’s not scared to challenge shots and he’s physical down there in the paint so I’m looking forward to seeing him again and his improvement.”
Gilas coach Tim Cone agrees, and thinks there’s more to come from QMB.
“He’s just scratching the surface of his ability to help us. We’re still exploring his game, he’s exploring his game within the system. There’s a lot more levels for him to go but the initial look is that he’s just what the doctor ordered.
“He’s that weak side big man. He’s a really strong defender. He battled (Tai) Wesley really well then went around and battled Jonathan Galloway really well and those guys are high level players. And then he got to the offensive boards, he ran the floor…he’s just a very active big and again that’s just what the doctor ordered for us.”
With Japeth Aguilar announcing his Gilas retirement, the next window could see a big man rotation of QMB, Sotto, AJ Edu and June Mar Fajardo. They all better be up to the challenge because…
Gilas needs their A-game in the next window
Let’s call a spade a spade: if Gilas plays the way they did in the second and third quarters of the second Guam game, then they have little chance of getting a win in the next window. At one point, they led 47-20 in the second quarter and seemed well on their way to surpassing their 41-point win in Guam. Then they got outscored 27-9 as Jericho Cruz almost singlehandedly brought his team back into it.
Gilas didn’t take good care of the ball, coughing up 19 turnovers against 16 for Guam. Many of them were careless passes in the paint and in transition. That has to change against Australia and New Zealand, along with their 3-point shooting. In the two Guam games, they shot 29% from beyond the arc (10/35), although their main gameplan was to run at every opportunity and attack the paint.
The third guard spot is also a little creaky. Abarrientos was the lone player with a negative plus-minus (-7) in the second game, and Guam began their comeback when he was on the floor. Against the taller guards of both Oceania teams, he will be severely mismatched. A good performance in the window is vital because…
The path to Qatar is bumpy
As things stand after the first window, Gilas and the Boomers are tied for the early group lead in Group A with two wins apiece. That means New Zealand and Guam, both at 0-2, both have some catching up to do in the next window.
The top three teams in the group will advance to the second round to join the top three from Group C – comprised of Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Syria. Iran and Jordan are both at 2-0 in that group. Gilas has a very good chance of finishing in the top three after those two Guam wins. Remember, though, that teams will carry over their first round records into the second round – but only for games played against their two other fellow qualifiers. So if Guam drops out, then those two wins by Gilas won’t carry to the second round.
Therefore, Gilas needs to rack up a couple of wins in the second and third windows, and do it against Australia and New Zealand, to be in a better position heading into the second round. Only the top seven teams plus host Qatar will qualify for 2027, so getting as many wins as possible is crucial.
Now, New Zealand have their backs against the wall and will be looking to snatch a win in Manila next year. They’ll be the more desperate team, because another loss will leave their World Cup chances hanging by a thread. Australia will still be using their NBL players in the second window, but that’s still no guarantee of an easier path for Gilas. When the third window comes along in June and July, the Boomers will have the likes of Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels at their disposal.
All images by Kieran Punay/KLIQ Inc.