Cone expands Gilas roster for Asian Games, adds Arana, Phillips

Gilas Pilipinas Expands Roster for Asian Games Tim Cone Names Justin Ara
Arana and Mike Phillips in Long List

As the Philippine national basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, prepares to de
defend its Asian Games men's basketball championship title, coach Tim Cone 
has made a crucial decision to expand the roster. In an effort to avoid any
any eligibility issues similar to those faced in the 2023 edition of the to
tournament, Cone has included Converge big man Justin Arana and recent UAAP
UAAP men's basketball Finals Most Valuable Player Mike Phillips in an expan
expanded list of players strictly for the Asian Games.

The Philippines will be looking to repeat its success in the upcoming Asian
Asian Games, set from September 19 to October 4 in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture
Prefecture, Japan. The team won the title in 2023, marking its first champi
championship since 1962.

Cone emphasized that the expanded roster is not related to the FIBA World C
Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers windows this July, where the Philippines will pla
play two away games against New Zealand and Australia. He stressed that the
the list is solely for the Asian Games and does not affect the team's prepa
preparations for the upcoming qualifiers.

Lessons Learned from the Past

Cone's decision to create a long list of players was sparked by lessons lea
learned during Gilas' buildup for the 2023 Asian Games. In that edition, th
the team encountered eligibility issues on some of the players from the ini
initial list. Despite these challenges, Gilas managed to overcome them and 
secure the championship title.

A Bigger Pool to Pick From

By creating a long list of eligible players, Cone aims to avoid any potenti
potential issues with player eligibility in the future. He highlighted that
that the team will have a bigger pool to pick from, ensuring that there are
are enough options available for the Asian Games.

We don't know all the eligibility rules that are going to happen, Cone ex
explained. Last year, our last Asian Games, we had a long list put togethe
together, and there were a lot of players on there that didn't get eligible
eligible. It was a long list, and at the last Asian Games, we scrambled for
for players at the very end because the list wasn't representative of what 
the eligibility rules were.

Catercorner The Key to Success

As Gilas Pilipinas prepares to face its rivals in the upcoming Asian Games,
Games, the expanded roster will play a crucial role in the team's success. 
By having a bigger pool of eligible players to choose from, Cone and his co
coaching staff can select the best combination of talent and chemistry to t
take on the competition.

In conclusion, Gilas Pilipinas' expansion of its roster for the Asian Games
Games is a key move that will provide a bigger pool of eligible players for
for the team's coaching staff to pick from. With lessons learned from the p
past, Cone is determined to avoid any potential issues with player eligibil
eligibility and focus on bringing home another championship title.

The expanded roster, featuring Justin Arana and Mike Phillips, will give Gi
Gilas Pilipinas the best possible chance of success in the upcoming Asian G
Games.

Edward Lance Arellano Lorilla

CEO / Co-Founder

Enjoy the little things in life. For one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.