At this point, the only constants with Gilas Pilipinas are games, practices, and adversity. 

The Philippines encountered logistical challenges as they headed to Auckland, New Zealand for the first leg of Window 3 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers. Weather disruptions are unpredictable but are not uncommon. However, the customs issues tend to produce more anxiety for the players, coaches, and management. 

But unlike other times, the mood feels different. Previous iterations would have cried to anyone and everyone, but now it’s a mere footnote that shows the team has moved on from the aforementioned issues faster than you can read the pieces about their travel woes. Right now, the detailing of the logistical issues is more reportorial because of the huge following of basketball in the Philippines and the transparency needed for national teams (regardless if private arms support it). 

Gilas is obviously focused on the bigger picture, even if this isn’t the best lineup they could field at the moment. This isn’t to downplay the current group representing the country, but not having Kai Sotto and even Scottie Thompson is a big loss. But the potentially increased roles of Kevin Quiambao and Carl Tamayo, along with the inclusion of RJ Abarrientos, Juan Gomez De Liano, and Mike Phillips points to how Gilas Pilipinas is playing the long game and not putting this opportunity to waste. 

It is likely that the Philippines will be entering hostile environments in New Zealand and Australia and so throwing the younger and future generation of Gilas players into these situations matters more than the Final result (but that too is important). Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone already bared his plan for this qualifying window, but the long-term implications make things exciting. 

Giving Kevin Quiambao more opportunities as a shooting guard is not just a move to create mismatches on offense; his relentless energy can prove to be a disruptive force on the defensive end. In his second season with the Korean Basketball League’s (KBL) Goyang Sono Skygunners, Quiambao has lifted his game and his team to greater heights and his activity has been contagious as the Skygunners made it all the way to the KBL finals. Cone must have seen some potential to consider this shift and he can utilize bigger lineups with Quiambao as a guard. 

The inclusion of Gomez De Liano and Phillips allows Cone to get an early look into the future. The former has already been part of previous iterations of Gilas, while the latter will finally get to suit up in FIBA international competition. The numbers won’t matter as much as the effort they put in on the court and physical teams like Australia and New Zealand are the perfect litmus tests. 

Abarrientos is coming off a solid Best Player of the Conference campaign in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup, where he has taken over during clutch moments in the finals. It remains to be seen how he will be fielded in this window, but the former FEU Tamaraw is certainly brimming with confidence. 

This will be one of the more challenging qualifying windows for Gilas Pilipinas, as they tend to struggle against their upcoming opponents in New Zealand and Australia. The additional adversity certainly doesn’t make things easier, but they’ve learned not to cry about it and in moving on quickly, they had more time to focus on the task at hand, which is not only competing these next two games, but also preparing for the future.