From left: Gilas Pilipinas Team Manager Alfrancis Chua, Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner Willie Marcial, and Gilas Pilipinas Assistant Coach Sean Chambers. Pic: Marivie Alabanza / The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Gilas Pilipinas looks to end the 2nd Doha International Cup on a winning note when it faces undefeated Egypt tonight, February 16. The Philippine national basketball team is in Doha for a three-day series of friendly matches as part of Gilas' preparation for the third round of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.
The Philippines is now 1-1 in the pocket tournament, having previously defeated host Qatar 74-71 on February 14 but falling to Lebanon 54-75 yesterday, February 15.
Speaking to The Peninsula hours before tonight's final match, Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner Willie Marcial said: "The PBA is fully supportive of our national team, and invitational tournaments like this are important to keep pace with other national teams and to assess what we need to improve on."
Filipinos cheer for Gilas Pilipinas during the 2nd Doha International Cup. Photo credit: Qatar Basketball Federation
"Yesterday, we fell short of winning our second straight game, losing by 21 points to Lebanon. The team needs to bounce back from poor shooting last night. Though the game has no bearing, that is not an excuse for the team not to play hard, especially since we are facing a very strong Egypt. They have three giant players, so tonight will definitely be tough!"
Gilas Pilipinas is already qualified for the continental meet and is taking advantage of the Doha friendlies to prepare for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup this August in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
"We, of course, don’t want to exhaust our national team, but hopefully the overwhelming support of the Filipino community here will ignite the players to do more. As we all know, the three matches are mainly to toughen them up and build chemistry and synergy since they're from different basketball teams back in the Philippines," said the top sports executive.
Marcial explained that Gilas Pilipinas' focus remains on preparation and adaptability as the team gears up for the upcoming final window of the qualifiers with games against Chinese Taipei on February 20 and New Zealand on February 23.
Filipino basketball star Chris Newsome in an interview with The Peninsula on February 16, 2025. Photo by Marivie Alabanza/ The Peninsula
"Last night we had a tough loss. Tonight, we need to focus on the game plan and the execution of Coach Tim Cone. We must play hard the whole time, but it's discipline that is most important," Chris Newsome told The Peninsula.
"We need to play more disciplined basketball. We need to give a more consistent performance, finish the tournament strong, and make our kababayan happy. The team appreciates the love and support from them, so hopefully, we can get another win for our kababayan tonight," said the Filipino basketball star.
The Philippines vs. Egypt match will take place tonight at 8:30 pm (Doha Time) at the Qatar University Sports & Events Complex.
