Gilas to begin once-a-week training on July 7

July 5 ------ Gilas Pilipinas is set for once-a-week training starting next week, July 7, head coach Tim Cone confirmed Sunday, June 29, after Barangay Ginebra's Game 3 win over San Miguel. The Nationals, who are gearing up for the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in August, are actually mulling to start the Monday-only training on June 30 but decided to push it back a week later.

Depending on the outcome of the next few games of the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup, the semifinals could be over by the start of the practices with both the Game 6 of the Rain or Shine-TNT series and San Miguel-Ginebra matchups scheduled the day before on July 6. If extended, Game 7 will be on July 9 and would mean that players from semifinalists Ginebra, San Miguel and TNT will be missing the first day of practice.

Gilas players still vying for the PH Cup Finals are Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar and Jamie Malonzo of the Kings, and June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez of the Beermen. Justin Brownlee is expected to be in the country in time for the first practice while overseas players Carl Tamayo, Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu and Kevin Quiambao are all in the offseason of their respective leagues.

Should Ginebra be in the Finals of the PH Cup, lead assistant Richard Del Rosario will be facilitating the practices as Cone will focus on the Kings campaign.

The Monday practices is expected to run until the last two weeks of the preparations which will conclude with Gilas playing the Macau Black Bears in an send-off exhibition game. Gilas is grouped with familiar foes Chinese Taipei and New Zealand and Middle East team Iraq.

Source: mb.com.ph