WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Gilas Pilipinas will open its two-game exhibition series against the Manawatu Jets on Sunday as part of its preparations for the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
The exhibition will allow the national team to build chemistry with new additions to coach Tim Cone’s roster and adjust to New Zealand’s winter conditions before facing the Tall Blacks on Friday in Auckland.
Gilas will also play the Franklin Bulls on Tuesday before traveling to Auckland for its qualifier against New Zealand. The Philippines will then face Australia on July 6 in Perth to conclude the third window and the first round of qualification for next year’s FIBA World Cup in Doha.
The national team arrived in New Zealand after spending four days training in Brisbane, Australia. Gilas held its practices at the training facility of the Brisbane Bullets of Australia’s National Basketball League.
“Brisbane Bullets helped us out in terms of lending their facilities to us so we could take full advantage of it and try to acclimate to the weather,” Cone said before the team left the Philippines.
The Philippines enters the third window with a 2-2 record after sweeping Guam in the opening window before losing to New Zealand and Australia in the second window at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Cone made several roster changes for the upcoming qualifiers. Quentin Milora-Brown, Scottie Thompson, CJ Perez and Calvin Oftana will not play.
Troy Rosario and Justine Baltazar joined the team, while Mike Phillips is set to make his FIBA debut after gaining eligibility as a local player.
Justin Brownlee, Dwight Ramos, June Mar Fajardo, AJ Edu, Kevin Quiambao, Chris Newsome, Juan Gomez de Liaño and Carl Tamayo also returned to the roster.
Gilas arrived in Wellington on Saturday amid inclement weather, prompting organizers to move Sunday’s exhibition from its original afternoon schedule to the evening.
The Manawatu Jets’ roster includes Corey Webster, who played for New Zealand against Gilas during the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers in November 2024. Webster, however, will not play in Sunday’s exhibition and will also miss the Tall Blacks’ campaign in the third qualifying window.