Gilas gears up for Asia Cup starting with match against Bears
Gilas Pilipinas swings into action on Monday against the Macau Black Bears in a sendoff match at Smart Araneta Coliseum to begin the final phase of its buildup for the Fiba Asia Cup, and it will be the lone rest day for San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo and TNT’s Calvin Oftana and where fellow PBA finalist and Fajardo teammate CJ Perez will see limited minutes.
Fajardo played extended minutes in all six games of the title series, while Oftana dragged himself on the floor after injuring a leg right in Game 1.
The series took a toll on both teams, who were locked in a furious battle with the Beermen winning and eventually denying the Tropang 5G the Grand Slam.
The 7:30 p.m. contest serves as an opportunity for fans to see Gilas in the flesh before it flies out two days later for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where the Nationals play one more scrimmage against Jordan, before getting its Asia Cup title bid going on Aug. 5.
“For now, June Mar and Calvin need time off from their injuries so they will not play,” said coach Tim Cone. “CJ, because of his limited practice time, will play limited minutes against Macau.”
Cone has been prepping the team since July 7, initially with daily practices before holding a mini-camp in Pampanga.
But the practices were minus the presence of Fajardo, Oftana and Perez, who recently concluded their Philippine Cup title series that saw San Miguel Beer denying TNT’s Grand Slam ambitions.
“I really need to get up to speed with coach Tim’s system, even if I’ve been with Gilas for the longest time,” Perez said amid the euphoria of the Beermen’s championship celebration on Friday at Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Justin Brownlee and AJ Edu rejoined the team during the second week of training followed by Kevin Quiambao, who spent some time in the United States in hopes of pursuing his NBA dreams.
Ginebra’s Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar, Jamie Malonzo, Troy Rosario and RJ Abarrientos have been busy with Gilas even after their team’s elimination in the Philippine Cup semifinals alongside Meralco’s Chris Newsome, B.League import Dwight Ramos and KBL mainstay Carl Tamayo.
Serving as a subplot to the game is the presence of ex-University of the Philippines standout Quentin Millora-Brown, who was signed up by the Black Bears for their campaign in The Asian Tournament.
Millora-Brown, usually called by his initials “QMB,” recently helped Macau win TAT’s Shanxi leg.
Cone has been vocal about his interest in getting Millora-Brown, though reports have stated that Fiba has ruled him as a naturalized player in case he suits up for the Philippines.
