SBP Chief Al Panlilio promises to stay the course

SBP Chief Al Panlilio (left) is excited about the bright future of Gilas Pilipinas 
PHOTO: FIBA

SAMAHANG Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio is optimistic about the future of Gilas Pilipinas after their semifinal finish in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Panlilio said the performance in the OQT is proof that Gilas Pilipinas can compete against the best in the world, even with the program under head coach Tim Cone in the early stages.

With the OQT campaign that saw Gilas Pilipinas win a game against sixth-ranked Latvia, Panlilio believes the SBP is right on track given that the program’s ultimate goal is for the long-term of qualifying in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Qatar and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

“We fell short but I am very proud of the team. We showed we can compete with the top ranked teams in the world. And win games (vs. Latvia),” said Panlilio in an online message to SPIN.ph hours after Gilas wrapped up its campaign against Brazil.

Gilas Pilipinas ended its OQT campaign with a 71-60 defeat over Brazil in the semifinals, falling two wins short of clinching a spot in the Paris Olympics.

A berth in Paris became possible after Philippines did the unexpected when it beat Latvia, 89-80, during its first game last Thursday.

Gilas lost to Georgia, 94-92, in their final group stage game, but it was enough for the Philippines to secure a spot in the semifinals.

Up next for Gilas Pilipinas will be the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers where they will look to improve on its 2-0 win-loss record when it faces New Zealand on November 21 and Hong Kong on November 24.

Panlilio said the SBP will definitely keep the compact Gilas pool together, with the upcoming FIBA tournaments beneficial to their growth as a team moving forward.

“We stay the course as this was a longer term plan with this team. Keep them together and compete again in other international tournaments,” Panlilio added.