Cone’s Herculean goal for Gilas, 2024 Paris, 2028 L.A Olympics

SOUNDS a tough task and considered as a very ambitious plan envisioned by newly appointed Gilas-Pilipinas coach Tim Cone, who laid down four-year program that would see the national team back competing in the Olympics.

The country since last time qualified and played in the Quadrennial Games was in 1972 Munich Olympics led by the legendary Robert “Sonny” Jaworski, wherein we managed to score a couple of victories in the Group B stage against Senegal,68-62 and over Egypt by default, after the later withdrew following a massacre incident.

The Philippines scored an 82-73 over former Asian rival Japan in the classification stage to take 13th spot in the of 16-teams. The former Soviet Union (Russian Republic) broke United State’s Olympic basketball dominance with an, 82-81, marred by controversy.

Cone’s ambitious four-year ultimate goal for Gilas-Pilipinas, likewise drew huge backing of all stake-holders from the Samahan ng Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), of qualifying in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics with the hope ending the Gilas-Pilipinas’ five-decade Olympic basketball aspiration.

But the road leading to the Olympics, is going to be “rough and bumpy”, as the nationals must first qualify for a seat in FIBA World Cup in 2027 to be hosted by Qatar. The Philippines gained an outright slot in the said tourney when it hosted the highly-commercialized tournament last year.

And to earn a berth in the 2028 LA Games, the Philippines should become the best Asian ranked team to gain a spot, an achievement done by the Japanese, placed 8th during the Manila final leg.

“The ultimate goal for SBP to make the LA Olympics,” said Cone on an interview over the radio and You Tube program. “ I think that’s the ultimate goal. That’s what they (SBP) are looking for,” Cone explained.

Though Cone already envisioned an ambitious program for Gilas, his term as coach is year-to -year. Part of his four-year program, 12-man team that intends to hone their individual skills and familiarize themselves together in the next four years, but it is open to minor changes throughout the build-up.

For its first stage of the build up is the coming first window of the FIBA 2025 Asia Cup qualifiers wherein Gilas-Pilipinas will meet Hongkong on February 22 and Chinese-Taipei on February 25, while on February 23, Gilas-Pilipinas tackle New Zealand.

Aside from the FIBA Asia Cup qualifying tournament, Gilas-Pilipinas will likewise will aspire for a spot in the Paris Olympic Games in August, during the Olympic Qualifying Tournament set in Riga, Latvia on July 3 to 4. The nationals in the company of host Latvia (July 3) and Georgia (July 4).